In the five years since its introduction, the tablet computer has become a part of the lives of hundreds of millions of people, young and old. A new study finds reading on them before bedtime can hurt our sleep.
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6 comments:
Grace
said...
I liked this article a lot because it was relevant to me. I read a lot before bed on a Kindle/iPad and I never really fall asleep too fast, which isn't fun in the morning. I actually read this article yesterday and tried to read paperback books before bedtime and it actually helped. I fell asleep pretty fast. What was cooler though was the clock, the internal one, that actually has a "standard" time where you do things, and that light, light from a device, can affect falling asleep at a certain time and has consequences for when you wake up and remember that you read for hours on the iPad and spent 2 hours falling asleep. This was fun to read because I liked to think that it wasn't just teens that this affected, it worked on adults as well. It was really interesting how they can trace sleeping problems back to the device you use to read before bed. I really hope that they can discover some new things about this or something related to this, and maybe they can invent an electronic device that is close to an iPad but can still let you fall asleep at the same time your body is used to.
I don't usually use an electronic device for reading but I have sometimes taken an iPad to bed to watch YouTube videos (without my mom and dad knowing). On those nights, I have had a horrible time falling asleep. Now I understand why my parent don't want me ever using an electronic device when I go to bed. I guess my parents must have already known that this would effect my ability to get a good night's rest.
I have noticed that when I have trouble falling asleep, I will grab a book and read a random chapter from it and that this usually helps me fall asleep. So it seems that having a reading light on doesn't make it harder for me to fall asleep.
Turn off, turn in, drop off. Now those are words of wisdom. This is a lesson that all of us US1ers should adhere to. My father is a brain surgeon and has studied the brain extensively. Ever since I was a toddler, he has been telling me to put away the electronics 2 hours before bedtime. This article is very informative in that it explains how children by artificial light from electronic devices. Some examples are, it takes longer to fall asleep, you do not experience the same amount of REM sleep that is necessary for brain growth and development. Also, your level of alertness (I'm not sure if that's a word) is affected int he morning. Most surprising to me is that the kids who experience natural sunlight during the day, were less affected by the artificial light at night. I do not really agree with this because I feel that the artificial light is unhealthy as compared to natural sunlight which provides Vitamin D that helps our bodies develop and grow. Perhaps the laboratory setting, which were the dim lights, might have affected the results.
I think this applies to most kids my age. We all have computers, so I get why we are tired. The last time I went to the doctor, she told me not to play with electronics one hour before I go to bed. Apparently, it messes up your internal clock and can make your brain think that you should stay away. It is amazing how your brain works. =) I really loved this article, and I would love to learn more about it.
This is a great article to put out on this blog. I bet most people here read on iPads or their Tablets before going to sleep. I actually thought reading made you fall asleep faster, maybe that is just the case for reading straight off a book. It is really interesting how screen time messes up with sleep. The hour difference, the feelings, everything it does is not positive. Before sleeping, I would watch a show on television, and on those nights I had trouble falling asleep. Now I know this fact and hopefully will sleep better.
I always read on my iPad before bed. Sometimes it can take over two hours to fall asleep (happened to me last week). Also, whenever I get into bed, my parents place my bedside clock face down. Maybe that has to do with this as well...I'm not really sure though. I will definitely stop using my iPad before bed though. I like my sleep. Also, I agree with Grace. This was a very fun read because it is a real world problem. Not getting enough sleep is not good for kids (like us).
6 comments:
I liked this article a lot because it was relevant to me. I read a lot before bed on a Kindle/iPad and I never really fall asleep too fast, which isn't fun in the morning. I actually read this article yesterday and tried to read paperback books before bedtime and it actually helped. I fell asleep pretty fast. What was cooler though was the clock, the internal one, that actually has a "standard" time where you do things, and that light, light from a device, can affect falling asleep at a certain time and has consequences for when you wake up and remember that you read for hours on the iPad and spent 2 hours falling asleep. This was fun to read because I liked to think that it wasn't just teens that this affected, it worked on adults as well. It was really interesting how they can trace sleeping problems back to the device you use to read before bed. I really hope that they can discover some new things about this or something related to this, and maybe they can invent an electronic device that is close to an iPad but can still let you fall asleep at the same time your body is used to.
I don't usually use an electronic device for reading but I have sometimes taken an iPad to bed to watch YouTube videos (without my mom and dad knowing). On those nights, I have had a horrible time falling asleep. Now I understand why my parent don't want me ever using an electronic device when I go to bed. I guess my parents must have already known that this would effect my ability to get a good night's rest.
I have noticed that when I have trouble falling asleep, I will grab a book and read a random chapter from it and that this usually helps me fall asleep. So it seems that having a reading light on doesn't make it harder for me to fall asleep.
Turn off, turn in, drop off. Now those are words of wisdom. This is a lesson that all of us US1ers should adhere to. My father is a brain surgeon and has studied the brain extensively. Ever since I was a toddler, he has been telling me to put away the electronics 2 hours before bedtime. This article is very informative in that it explains how children by artificial light from electronic devices. Some examples are, it takes longer to fall asleep, you do not experience the same amount of REM sleep that is necessary for brain growth and development. Also, your level of alertness (I'm not sure if that's a word) is affected int he morning. Most surprising to me is that the kids who experience natural sunlight during the day, were less affected by the artificial light at night. I do not really agree with this because I feel that the artificial light is unhealthy as compared to natural sunlight which provides Vitamin D that helps our bodies develop and grow. Perhaps the laboratory setting, which were the dim lights, might have affected the results.
I think this applies to most kids my age. We all have computers, so I get why we are tired.
The last time I went to the doctor, she told me not to play with electronics one hour before I go to bed.
Apparently, it messes up your internal clock and can make your brain think that you should stay away. It is amazing how your brain works. =)
I really loved this article, and I would love to learn more about it.
This is a great article to put out on this blog. I bet most people here read on iPads or their Tablets before going to sleep. I actually thought reading made you fall asleep faster, maybe that is just the case for reading straight off a book. It is really interesting how screen time messes up with sleep. The hour difference, the feelings, everything it does is not positive. Before sleeping, I would watch a show on television, and on those nights I had trouble falling asleep. Now I know this fact and hopefully will sleep better.
I always read on my iPad before bed. Sometimes it can take over two hours to fall asleep (happened to me last week). Also, whenever I get into bed, my parents place my bedside clock face down. Maybe that has to do with this as well...I'm not really sure though. I will definitely stop using my iPad before bed though. I like my sleep. Also, I agree with Grace. This was a very fun read because it is a real world problem. Not getting enough sleep is not good for kids (like us).
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