It seems that browsing the phone before bed is not as harmful as many believe, as recent research has revealed that using screens at night does not affect the quality of sleep in adults.
A study conducted by the University of Toronto Metropolitan and Laval University in Canada revealed that using the phone during the night and before sleep does not affect the quality of sleep as believed.
More than a thousand adults participated in the study, which was conducted across Canada, and they were asked to answer questions related to their use of electronic devices before bed, and its relationship to the quality of their sleep.
The researchers found that overall sleep quality was similar between people who used screens every night and those who did not use them at all.
The study, published in the journal Sleep Health, showed that adults who used electronic devices before bed on an almost daily basis had the best timing for sleep and the best level of alertness during the day.
In contrast, people who did not use the screen less than once a week had the highest levels of sleep regularity and satisfaction with it.
Colleen Carney, a specialist in the study of sleep and mood disorders at the Metropolitan University of Toronto, said that previous studies on the subject of “blue light” did not take into account factors such as age, timing, and intensity of exposure to this light, when issuing instructions about its effect.
She explained: “There may be reasons to be careful about excessive exposure to blue light in the evenings among teenagers, because sensitivity to light increases during that period, but with age we become less sensitive to light, and eye changes limit the effect of light on sleep quality.”
Carney advised users to monitor their sleep quality by using the phone before bed.
She said: “If you notice that you sleep and feel better when you stop using devices early, make it a new habit, and if you do not notice a difference, as is the case with many of the study participants, then the devices are not the problem as we thought.”
Many previous studies have revealed that using electronic devices before bed affects the quality and duration of sleep, and also affects memory and concentration.
