Nowadays, the use of smartphones has become a daily habit before going to bed. It has become common to surf the Internet, play games, use applications or check the messages we have received, before falling asleep.
However, according to experts who have studied the effects of smartphones on our health, this habit can have serious consequences for human health. These consequences were reported by our colleagues at Doctissimo. Effects of using smartphones during the night.
The main reason behind this warning against using the smartphone before going to bed is the radiation emitted by the phones, that is to say the blue light coming from the screen. This is part of the full spectrum of light that we are exposed to daily in the sun. However, exposure to light at night via our phones, tablets, and laptops can cause vision problems. In addition, this light hampers the production of melatonin and therefore has a negative influence on the body's natural sleep signals.
From a scientific point of view, smartphones have been associated with the following health problems:
Insomnia
Melatonin is a hormone that regulates the body's sleep cycle and blue light disrupts its production. This results in insomnia and sleep disorders as reported by Doctissimo.
According to Jean Twenge, a psychology professor at San Diego State University and author of iGen, a book that examines the relationship between adolescents and technology, almost everything we do on phones and tablets is stimulating, including social media , SMS, e-mails and online shopping.
Twenge says that social media and other smartphone activities tend to stimulate rumination or difficulty in stopping our thoughts. He explained that it's easy to keep thinking about your friend's text, frustrating work e-mail, or comments on your Facebook post. If you think about the news you just read or have made the right choice when shopping online, you can also keep your brain moving, which is not conducive to sleep at night.
Ocular lesions
When they are constantly exposed to the blue light of the screens, the eyes become dry by not blinking, get tired and the vision becomes blurred as specified in the Cosmopolitan article. In addition, the risk of retinal damage, macular degeneration and cataracts is higher.
In a recent study published in International Journal of Ophthalmology and has focused on the effects of blue light on the eyes, the researchers concluded that blue light can cause more or less serious corneal damage, crystalline and retina. Therefore, it is necessary to take appropriate protective measures when using devices emitting blue light, especially at night.
Cancer
Light from these devices disrupts sleep patterns as mentioned above and also increases the risk of cancer, especially prostate and breast cancer. Melatonin, a powerful antioxidant, is a natural weapon against cancer in our body. However, the blue light removes it.
According to a recent study published in the scientific journal Environmental Health Perspectives, exposure to blue light, usually emitted by mobile phones, computer screens, can increase the risk of cancer.
Researchers measured contact with indoor and outdoor artificial light and found that exposure to blue light doubles the risk of prostate cancer in men and increases the risk of developing breast cancer by 50%. wife.
According to Dr. Brian D. Gonzalez, researcher at the Moffitt Cancer Research Center, blue light disrupts our circadian rhythms, confusing the body when sleeping. This disturbance has been associated with an increased risk of cancer.
He also added that for the human body, blue light is synonymous with the day. But suddenly, we are exposed to blue light even at 22 hours, well after sunset. The human body thinks that it is the day when it is not, which disrupts its biological clock.
Dr. Gonzalez recommends limiting the use of screens at night, but if you use your smartphone, adjust the color temperature using some applications dedicated to this purpose. If you live near street lights that use a blue light, you should also close your blinds.
In addition to cancer of the prostate and breast, our colleagues at Figaro Health have said that the use of smartphones has a proven link with brain cancer. For all these reasons, it is recommended to reduce the time of use of such devices, especially at night and to ensure a healthy sleep routine by banning the screens at least 2 hours before sleeping.
