Every night when we go to sleep, more than 45% of Australians do this one thing and it is starting to have some huge health ramifications.
According to a recent survey from the Sleep Health Foundation, Australians have turned their bedrooms from a place of rest and intimacy into an entertainment or office centre. According to the study, 45% of us will take an electronic device to bed or will watch TV from bed and this is beginning to drive sleep disorders including insomnia.
Apart from being constantly interrupted through alerts, texts, messages and foreign noises from devices, the light of our phones is also contributing. The “blue light” on our screens actually blocks the hormone melatonin which encourages the body to relax and sleep.
The foundation’s sleep psychologist Professor Dorothy Bruck says, “A standard guideline for good sleep is that the bed should be reserved for sleep and intimacy only. So it was alarming to learn that so many people were using their sleep sanctuary to email, cruise the web and watch movies, all activities that are not conducive to sleep.”
The big problem is that a lack of sleep doesn’t only make people less alert and have shorter concentration spans, it can lead to much more serious health problems. Those with regular fragmented sleep are more at risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Lack of sleep has also been linked to depression and weight problems like obesity.
When a lack of sleep is found to be a symptom or character of people with one of the above diseases it becomes a contributing factor and therefore, the Australian economy is spending around $10 billion on this every year.
According to the Daily Mail, if you’re struggling to sleep, here’s the five things to do from Professor Dorothy Bruck from the Sleep Health Foundation…
Tell us, do you have sleeping troubles?