Sleep vs Technology: Your Bedroom Battleground

In our homes there's a raging battleground that many people are quite unaware of: Sleep vs Technology

In this ever-connected world our electronic devices are almost an extension of ourselves, they are our tendrils that connect us to the rest of the world... to friends, family, news, gossip. It almost seems that whatever it is we need, our mobile devices can give it to us.

But this connectivity comes at a price, because the one thing that we as humans need more than anything, as much as food and water, is SLEEP; and our beloved devices used at the wrong time can intrude upon that necessity. (The term "Devices" almost seems too cold a word somehow doesn't it, when, really, they are "magic wands" that enable us to stay connected with our loved ones wherever they are in the world.)

Can you believe that 1 in 2 people, as soon as they wake up in the night, instantly check their phones? 

Checking on loved ones is one thing, making sure no emergency texts or calls have come in, but the dreaded and wonderful internet is another thing entirely. How tempting is it just to have another wee peek at the gossip pages, to check out what's been going on on Facebook, to read yet another piece of sporting analysis, or to do a spot of online shopping...? The worldwide web is one of the biggest distractions to sleep there is and accounts for many lost hours and weary mornings.

Astonishingly 1 in 4 of us don't silence our phones before sleep.

Perhaps this is because we also use it as an alarm clock, perhaps it's because we don't want to be uncontactable in case of emergency. Whatever it is, it leaves us open to broken sleep.

One in 10 people say that they are woken by their phone at least once a week.

Sometimes the light from an alert may wake us, sometimes it may be emails coming in. Whatever it is, that blue light in the periphery of your vision or random chirruping of alerts isn't going to help your sleep.

If you want good quality, deep sleep, experts unanimously recommend that you shouldn't use your electronic devices just before bedtime. The reason being that the blue light emanating from the screen sends confusing signals to your mind, tricking it into thinking you are in daylight hours. This messes with your body's melatonin production and prevents true sleepiness.

So you can't sleep. It seems like the easiest thing in the world to go reaching for that phone or iPad to while away a few minutes before you feel tired again. But this is all leading towards what is known as JUNK SLEEP. Junk Sleep is low quality sleep caused by using electronic devices.

What you can do:

1. Turn off the tech about 15-30mins before going to your bedroom to sleep. It'll help your mind calm itself and let the production of melatonin progress.

2. Turn your bedroom into a tech-free zone. Tricky, but if it's not there you won't be tempted. Don't be one of the 40% of people who check emails in the middle of the night (AOL: "Email Addiction Survey")

3. Rediscover the joys of reading! Reading books is the perfect way to unwind and destress before bed.

REMEMBER: A good night's sleep is a non-negotiable necessity for a healthy body and mind!

And remember certain sleep technologies are your friend! Such as improvements in mattress technologies that will help you sleep better, like the Memory Foam Springs that can be found in our Octaspring mattresses.