Technology

Before trying to get some shut-eye, you need to shut off – from technology, that is. A clinical psychologist at the Sydney Sleep Center, Dr. Rosemary Clancy explains why. She says that the blue light emitted from screens disrupts the melatonin production in a person’s body, which essentially keeps you from falling asleep.

“Blue light acts akin to the sun, by suppressing melatonin hormone production,” says Clancy in an interview with Coach magazine. “If you’re looking at a device late in the night, then the blue lightemitted from that device will have an effect on suppressing melatonin production.”

One way Dr. Clancy suggests you can rectify the situation a little is by switching to “night mode” in phones that come with it, or to download a blue light filter app.

She elaborates further: “If you’re watching YouTube, there’s always another YouTube video which comes up on the right hand side, so there’s a never-ending scroll of them.”

She says that we are overstimulating our brains at a time when it should be slowing down and getting ready for rest. She suggests reading a book instead of scrolling through your smartphone. “You’re constantly firing up your attention and reorienting a new stimulus, whereas if you’re reading a sustained narrative in a book, your attention starts to lull instead of continually perking up.”