Digital devices disrupt sleep patterns

A research carried out by the University of Houston College of Optometry says that the screens from our digital devices disrupt sleep by lowering melatonin levels.

According to them, the blue light that digital devices emit, interferes with the hormone made naturally by our bodies which help control our sleep-cycles.

Normally, melatonin levels rise in the mid-to-late evening, remain high for most of the night and then drop in the early hours of the morning.

But watching screens from phones and tablets late in the evening plays havoc to this process by boosting alertness and alerting our internal body clock.

According to Dr Lisa Ostrin, who is the lead author of the study, the blue light that gets emitted from digital devices does decrease sleep quality, which in turn is important for the regeneration of multiple functions in the body.

Lack of regular sleep is linked to raised risk of depression, obesity, heart attack, stroke and diabetes – and it shortens your life expectancy.

The research was published in the journal Ophthalmic & Physiological Optics.