According to a study conducted by the National Sleep Foundation, children need about 9 to 11 hours of sleep a night, while teenagers need about 8 to 10 hours of sleep a night. But today, mobile phone addiction has misbalanced our sleep schedules. Yes, I agree that smartphones and tablets are hugely productive tools, however, they can also interfere with work, school, relationships, and even sleep.
You May Be Addicted if you…
If you cannot stop yourself from repeatedly checking emails or social media apps, it may be time to reassess your smartphone usage. Hi guys! Welcome back to my YouTube channel, and in today’s video, I am going to tell you about how mobile phone addiction is affecting your sleep and productivity. However, before we go any further, make sure you subscribe to this channel, and don’t forget to hit that bell icon so you never miss any updates. Now, without further ado, let’s dive into this.
What is Mobile Phone Addiction?
How often do you find yourself checking your mobile phone? Mobile phone addiction is also known as Nomophobia. The word actually means phobia of no mobile. It is basically a fear of an individual of not being able to use their cell phone. Mobile addiction includes overuse or over-dependence on your cell phone. Most experts agree that many people with this addiction have unhealthy phone habits that can affect their health as well as their relationships with friends and family.
How Mobile Phone Addiction Affects Your Sleep?
According to experts, the more time you spend on your mobile phone, the worse you’ll sleep. Overuse and addiction to mobile phones have been shown to have negative impacts on sleep, stress levels, and mental health. It is commonly found that people fall asleep watching a movie or playing on their phones. Not only do such habits disturb your restful sleep but it is also proven that the human body can’t chemically prepare for sleep due to the light emitted from your mobile.
Using Your Phone late at night can cause sleep disorders.
Regularly using a mobile late at night is associated not only with sleep disorders but also with stress and depressive symptoms in users. It can cause fatigue and insomnia in users. According to studies, people who used mobile phones right before bedtime took longer to fall asleep as compared to those who don’t. Various surveys also found that among the users who slept with their mobile phone by their bedside, 60 to 70% reported poor quality of sleep. On the other hand, among those who do not keep their mobile phones beside them, only 9 to 12% reported poor sleep.
The Mechanism behind Sleep Disruption
It’s 1 am, but you’re glued to your mobile, catching up on the latest news, Facebook updates, and tweets instead of sleeping. The mobile phone that was invented to keep you connected and organized may also be keeping you awake and affecting your sleep. Light reaches your eyes in a range of wavelengths. These different wavelengths produce different color sensations. And those sensations are responsible to regulate your internal clock. Light is one of the best biological signs we have to recognize what time of day it is.
Blue light tells your body that it is morning
And it turns out that blue light in particular is very effective for predicting when the morning is. And guess what? Your mobile phone emits a large quantity of blue light. That means when you are texting, tweeting, or playing your latest game obsession, you’re essentially telling your body that it’s morning even at night. What you want instead is more red light, which is more abundant towards dusk. And that will help your body recognize that it is now evening, and I should be preparing for sleep. Your body gets that signal through Melanopsin, a protein that undergoes a chemical change when exposed to light. This protein is present in cells called Intrinsically Photosensitive Retinal Ganglion Cells located deep behind the eyes that signal your master clock. That master clock regulates circadian functions, which is everything that tells your body to wake up and go to sleep.
Stress, Anxiety, and Depression
The researchers have found that mobile phone use is associated with symptoms of anxiety, depression, and increased experience of stress. The more you use your phone, the more likely you are to experience symptoms associated with these disorders and report being stressed. Excessive mobile phone use can worsen symptoms of anxiety and depression. Research has also found that some individuals experience intense anxiety when separated from their phones.
Do you repeatedly check your phone?
Most people have a habit of checking their apps and notifications repeatedly and find it rewarding. Some can become addicted to this positive feeling, irresistibly checking their phones for updates. Such behavior can become stressful, leading to worsening symptoms of anxiety and depression. Mobile phone addiction leads people to anxiously check their phones for fear of missing out on important social updates or interactions. They even compromise their sleep and keep on scrolling through their phones. Depression, anxiety, and stress resulting from excessive mobile usage are also responsible for bad sleep schedules and insomnia.
How Mobile Phone Addiction Affects Your Productivity?
Mobile phone affects your sleep and also your productivity. You won’t be productive at work if you were scrolling through your phone late the previous night. Without adequate sleep, you face difficulty concentrating, learning, and communicating. Your memory weakens. And your problem-solving abilities decline. When you sleep at night, your breathing slows, muscles relax and the brain undergoes refreshing biological processes. The rejuvenation provided by sleep is important for your immune system and your ability to think, learn, and manage your emotions.
Sleep deprivation makes it challenging to…
If you compromise your sleep, spending time on your mobile phone, your body won’t recover like it is supposed to. Sleep deprivation can make it more challenging for you to maintain focus, attention, and vigilance. Feeling drowsy and trying to stay awake takes a lot of mental energy, reducing your concentration and productivity at work. Such people also feel more irritable, angry, and vulnerable to stress. Mobile phone addiction can significantly impact your performance. Even if you aren’t underslept or sleep-deprived, the urge to keep checking through your phone reduces your concentration on work. Such addicts are also more likely to make errors and omissions.
How to Stop Mobile Addiction From Affecting Your Sleep and Productivity?
You can get hold of your mobile phone addiction from affecting your sleep and productivity by trying some simple tips.
Turn Off Mobile Notification
One of the quickest ways to help limit yourself from using a mobile phone is to turn off the push notifications from the apps on your phone. With no app and text message notification sound, you won’t experience high stress levels and will concentrate more on your work. It also won’t disturb your sleep and keep you healthy.
Limit Social Media Time
You can also try setting one time in the complete day to check social media apps. Only in that specific time, check your phone and then put it aside. You shouldn’t be using social media apart from that time, not even before sleeping.
Don’t keep your Mobile near Bed
Keep your phone at a maximum distance when you go to bed. Don’t keep it at the side table or bed. Even if you set an alarm on it, try getting an alarm clock for that purpose. By doing so, you won’t only improve your sleep quality but also your mental health and productivity.
Work without Your Mobile
To improve your productivity, turn off your phone and schedule your work time without your phone. You can use it once you are done working or studying. Doing so will help you avoid distractions, will keep you focussed and you will experience less stress.
Final Thoughts
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