Or at least, avoid using it late at night!
As I've been saying for years now, using electronics at night is a bad idea. Not only can electronic gadgets be stimulating, but the light they emit can damage sleep.
Unfortunately, this advice is continuously ignored, even as more studies come out confirming that light emitting devices harm sleep.
The latest, out of Harvard University, compared the sleep of those who read normal paper books before bedtime with those who read light-emitting ebook readers before bedtime.
They found that those who used the backlit ebook readers took longer to fall asleep and ended up getting poorer quality sleep. They also felt less refreshed in the morning.
The blame lies with the blue light that devices such as backlit ereaders, smartphones and tablets emit. This wavelength disrupts the body clock by slowing or preventing the production of melatonin - an important sleep hormone.
If you enjoy reading before bed, it's best to stick with the old-fashioned paper books - or a less fancy ebook reader that doesn't come with a built-in backlight.
Source: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
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Last updated: December 23, 2014
