Should You Sleep With Your Phone At Night?
The team at WaveBlock® knows that cell phones are an integral part of people’s lives. It’s why we created EMF radiation protection stickers so that people can enjoy their cell phones and all they do for us in a safer way.
The reality is that most of us have our phones on us at all times. Texts, emails, calls, and notifications are constantly coming at us. These days, everything from our credit cards to our important documents are on our phones. It’s no wonder we always have them with us.
According to a research study reported by CBS News, 89% of adults surveyed said they check their phones when they first wake up and 60% said they sleep with their phones. Furthermore, a recent medical study showed that 9 out of 10 adults use some form of tech device (phone, TV, computer, etc) within an hour before bedtime. We are truly addicted to our devices!
We aren’t telling you to throw your phone out the window. However, there are some concerns that the WaveBlock® team wants cell phone users to be aware of when it comes to sleeping with your phone at night.
Should you be sleeping with your phone next to you at night? The short answer is no. For several reasons! Should you be sleeping with your phone close to your face or under your pillow at night? Definitely not. In this article, we will explain why.
Blue Light Concerns
The first reason why the team at WaveBlock® advises you not to keep your phone with you at night is because using your phone when you are getting ready to go to sleep exposes you to the blue light coming from your phone at an unideal time. Exposure to blue light, which is what your cell phone uses, can highly interfere with your circadian rhythm.
How? Blue light messes with your internal clock by delaying your body's natural release of melatonin before falling asleep. Melatonin is a natural chemical that helps your body wind down and go to sleep at night. If you are sitting in bed holding a phone inches from your face, you are interfering with your body’s natural ability to sleep. Our bodies were made to adjust to sunlight. When you see the sun, your body is supposed to be awake. When darkness comes, your body knows that sleep is coming soon. Exposing yourself to blue light tricks your brain into thinking it’s time to be alert and awake.
Keeping your phone away from your face at night will allow your body to get to sleep more easily in its natural way.
No Time to Unwind
Our phones can show us a lot of things — from funny videos to concerning news alerts. Using technology, especially a phone, right before bed doesn’t allow your mind to truly unwind. If you’re playing games, scrolling social media, or caught in a TV show binge, it’s hard for you to get the relaxation you need at the end of the day. Plus, we all know that once you start, it’s hard to put the phone down.
By keeping your phone away from you once you get in bed, you will be less tempted to mindlessly scroll or sit on your phone for hours when you could be getting the rest your brain and body need and deserve. You don’t want to be provoked into a state of arousal and alertness late at night.
EMF Radiation
This is our bread and butter. WaveBlock® was created by a father who was concerned about his children’s EMF radiation exposure from using their phones, computers, and wireless earbuds throughout the day.
The WaveBlock® blog has several articles that prove why consistent exposure to the EMF radiation from our cell phones can cause several health issues. We’ve also seen the high levels of radiation that come off our devices in our lab research and testing.
Keeping cell phones near your face or brain can lead to headaches, fatigue, and much more. It’s why over 266 EMF scientists have signed a petition to get the FCC and other organizations to put greater, more updated health protections on EMF-emitting devices. Your phone uses modest amounts of non-ionizing radiation in order to function. If you are holding your phone inches from your face at night, you are exposing yourself to those EMFs. Plus, if your phone isn’t in airplane mode or has WiFi or Bluetooth on, it’s still emitting radiation, even when you aren’t actively using it.
That is why companies like Apple even advise you (in the fine print) to keep your phone a few inches from your face, especially when charging, which is what people typically do at night.
If you are trying to get proper rest at night, why bring your phone into the mix? You’re not using it when you sleep anyway. Keep it at least an arm’s length from you, if not, more! The closer that phone is to your face, the more exposure to EMF radiation you will get.
REM Sleep & Overall Sleep Quality Concerns
There is endless research on the importance of sleep. Getting quality sleep can benefit your mental health, physical health, and emotional well-being. Using our phones at night can pose a big risk to that integral sleep.
Part of a human’s sleep cycle is rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. That’s when most of our dreams happen. Phone exposure at night can reduce the length of that necessary REM sleep, which may make you groggy in the morning. Waking up fatigued, as mentioned before, can negatively impact your productivity and increase overall stress.
Here is what Dr. Neha Narula, a professor of medicine at Stanford University, explained about phone interference with sleep:
“Melatonin levels are generally lower in people who use their phones during bedtime, which can impact our sleep quality, as well as our REM sleep, which is the stage of sleep that we dream — the state of sleep that helps us with emotions and processing memories. A reduction in REM sleep can interfere with our alertness levels and increase stress in general, which can lead to physical and mental health issues.”
Research also shows a correlation between phone usage and our sleep cycle. A 2018 medical review noted that phone use within one to two hours of sleep can negatively impact sleep quality, especially in toddlers and children. The less quality sleep you get, the worse you’ll feel during the day.
Fire Hazard
This may seem comical, but it isn’t intended to be. One of the reasons Apple suggests keeping your phone inches from your face is the potential damage from heat that comes off our phones. Our phones get hot when they’re working hard or when they are charging. They have built in vents to help this; however, If you place your phone under your pillow when you sleep, which many people do, you could potentially risk overheating the device. The lack of ventilation under your pillow could cause damage to your battery and pose a fire hazard.
In an article from USA Today, writers warned that covering your phone with pillows and blankets “can cause your device to overheat and, in some extreme cases, get hot enough to burn you or even catch fire.”
Here’s What the WaveBlock® Team Suggests
As always, we recommend using our lab-tested, patented, and proven stickers on your cell phones. WaveBlock® has stickers for several models, and the easy-to-use technology helps direct the radiation coming off your phone away from you. However, WaveBlock® stickers won’t save you from doom scrolling or blue light concerns.
Here’s what we suggest:
- Keep your phone as far away from you as possible. If you want it in your room, try to keep it at least a foot away from your body, preferably three feet or more.
- Turn on airplane mode when you sleep. This will help decrease the EMF radiation exposure. Plus, you aren’t making calls in your sleep, and this will still allow your alarm clock to work if you use your phone as an alarm.
- Keep your room a device-free zone. This will help you wind down and get the proper rest you need.
- Go into night mode. Give yourself one or two hours before bed to be phone-free. This will help your body produce the natural melatonin you want and need.
- Turn off notifications. If you need your device with you, at least make sure no one is bugging you.
The WaveBlock® team wants you to live an energized and happy life. As we mentioned, poor sleep can have so many negative health impacts. Do your best to keep your bed a phone-free zone. Now, go get some Zs!
WaveBlock® samBlock (Androids)
