Use of Smartphone at Night Results in Poor Sleep

First Posted: Jan 23, 2014 07:47 AM EST
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A new study claims that using Smartphones at night affects work efficiency the next day.

The study conducted at Michigan State University claims that workers who used their smartphones after 9 in the night felt more tired and worked less the following day. The study, conducted by Russell Johnson and colleagues, surveyed a wide range of American workers.

"Smartphone's are almost perfectly designed to disrupt sleep," said Johnson, MSU assistant professor of management. "Because they keep us mentally engaged late into the evening, they make it hard to detach from work so we can relax and fall asleep

Smartphone ownership in the U.S. continues to soar and women make up the majority of Smartphone owners.  At the same time, statistics provided by the National Sleep Foundation showed that nearly 60 percent Americans get insufficient sleep due to excessive usage of phones at night.

For the first study, researchers asked managers to complete surveys every day for two weeks. In the second study, researchers surveyed 161 employees (from diverse workplaces) daily.

In both studies, the researchers found that usage of Smartphones in the night for business disrupted sleep. Also, Smartphone use was linked with poorer sleep than other devices such as television and laptop.

The blue light emitted from the Smartphone is the most disruptive of all colors of light. Studies have documented that blue light disturbs an important chemical in the body called melatonin, which promotes sleep. It is evident from this study that the use of Smartphone in the night has both psychological and physiological effects on the person's ability to sleep soundly.

"There may be times in which putting off work until the next day would have disastrous consequences and using your Smartphone is well worth the negative effects on less important tasks the next day," he said. "But on many other nights, more sleep may be your best bet."

You can still check the Smartphone at night without hampering your sleep. Want to know how, Click Here

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