Let’s face it, we all like to browse the Net, play a game, or use some new application on the smartphone before going to bed. You might want to check the weather forecast for the next day, chat with your friends, or see the pictures you took that afternoon.
Yet, researchers are constantly examining the effects of smartphones on our health and wellbeing and their findings are not positive.
You might have already heard of cell phone radiation, which is a thing numerous people worry about. Apparently, the blue light emitted by these phones causes various severe health problems.
“Blue light is part of the full light spectrum, which means we’re exposed to it by the sun every day. However, nighttime exposure to that light, which is emitted at high levels by smartphones, tablets, laptops, and other LED screens, may be damaging your vision. It also suppresses production of the hormone melatonin, which throws off your body’s natural sleep cues.”
Scientists have found that smartphones are linked to the following three health issues:
1. Increased cancer risk
Increased light at night leads to disturbed sleep, and this raises the cancer risk, especially breasts and prostate cancer.
Melatonin is a potent antioxidant and is a natural weapon of the body against cancer, but it is suppressed by “blue light”. If this happens once, it might not be a huge health issue, but continued use of smartphones at bedtime causes severe health problems.
2. Sleep Loss
“Blue light” disrupts the production of melatonin, as mentioned above, and this hormone regulates the sleeping cycle of the body. If the body lacks sleep, the skewed sleeping cycle will lead to multiple health issues:
- Weight gain
- Depression
- Cardiovascular Problems
- Lack of Memory Recall
- Aged Skin
- Slower Response Time
3. Eye Damage
The exposure to “blue light” at night leads to damage to the retina and macular degeneration, which is the loss of central vision, or the ability to see in front of you, as well as cataracts.
According to one doctor, whose 35-years old patient had cloudy, cataract-affected eyes similar to 75-year-olds, the use of smartphones before going to sleep is the main cause of the problem, but this needs to be examined further.
After reading this, would you still use your smartphone at bedtime?
