Smartphone blues? Trouble sleeping? Try ditching your phone at least 30 mins before bed!
Hands up if you’re sometimes still glued to your phone moments before you hit the pillow? I know I’m guilty of it and I do find it affects my sleep.
You’ve probably already heard it’s a good idea to have some ‘no phone’ time before bed. Now a new study (a randomized controlled trial) shows smartphone sleep struggles are real.
4-week challenge
If you’re feeling anxious and struggling to sleep, especially with the latest lockdown news, join me over the next 4 weeks and try putting your phone away at least 30-60 mins before bed – let me know how you feel.
The study
38 adults were split into two groups: half instructed NOT to use their phones 30 mins before bed, and the other half with no restriction. Over 4 weeks, their sleep habits, sleep quality, pre-sleep arousal and mood were measured.
The results
Limiting smartphone use before bedtime was found to significantly improve sleep quality, mood and working memory within just 4 weeks.
How?
It’s thought that avoiding mobile phones before bedtime helps by…
- Reducing the negative impact of the blue light emitted by phones.
- Reducing the stimulation from reading the contents of your phone. (Maybe those 50+ messages in your group WhatsApp chat can wait)
The importance of sleep
Sleep is super important for our gut and overall health – sleep deprivation is linked to increased inflammation and stress hormones in your body.
Not getting enough sleep can actually have a negative impact on our gut microbes – they have their own body clock too!
When you haven’t had enough sleep, you’re also more susceptible to getting sick, as it’s linked to lower immunity.
