How Electronics Affect Sleep and Steps for a Restful Bedroom
Understanding how electronics affect sleep is a motivating force to help you make positive changes to get better quality rest. Sleep is crucial for maintaining the best mental and physical health. It restores our energy, improves our memory, helps our bodies repair physical damage, and helps to regulate our hormones.
The effect of electronics on sleep is one area where scientific study and feng shui find common ground. Scientific studies have long shown the negative impact of electronics on rest. According to feng shui beliefs, electronics in the bedroom can interrupt the vital flow of energy and impact our sleep quality. While it may seem an impossible stretch to get rid of your bedroom electronics, if you do, you will sleep better and feel more energized during the day.
How Electronics Affect Sleep
There are critical reasons why you should avoid electronics in bedroom spaces for both your long-term physical and mental health.
Exposure to Blue Light
Blue light is emitted from electronic devices like computers, cell phones, and tablets. Exposure to blue light right before bed can have a detrimental effect on the quality and quantity of our sleep. This exposure can suppress the natural production of melatonin, a hormone that helps to regulate our sleep cycle.
Blue light right before bed can also delay our natural circadian rhythm making it more difficult to fall asleep at a good time. Studies have also shown that exposure to blue light can reduce our REM sleep, a restorative cycle in our sleep, and lead to more wakefulness throughout the night.
Stimulating Content
The content that we see on our screens has a serious impact on our body’s ability to settle down to sleep. Exposure to exciting content like video games, social media, and news can increase our cognitive arousal and activity. We can experience emotions like fear, anger, sadness, and anxiety, which trigger hormones like cortisol that disrupt our natural sleep cycle.
Our bodies may also experience heightened blood pressure and heart rate. Even after we turn off the media, we can continue to process the information, making sleep elusive.
Sound Disturbances
The beeps and dings that electronics emit all night have a disturbing effect on sleep. These noises cause us to awaken from sleep and disrupt our natural sleep cycle. This can reduce the time our bodies have in restorative sleep cycles and cause grogginess and fatigue during the day. This noise also causes increased stress and arousal in our bodies as we physically respond to the noise with an increased heart rate, blood pressure, and the release of stress hormones.
EMF Radiation
EMF stands for electromagnetic fields. EMF is similar to blue light but refers to the broader spectrum of light that includes both visible and non-visible light. The impact of EMF radiation on sleep is an ongoing scientific endeavor.
Most electronics in the bedroom emit some level of electromagnetic radiation, including mobile phones, computers, tablets, TVs, WiFi routers, and smart home devices. Some recent scientific studies have shown that EMF radiation impacts the amount of sleep we get, the REM sleep cycle, and our natural circadian rhythms.
Feng Shui Belief and Electronics in the Bedroom
Feng shui experts consider the bedroom a sacred space where relationships are strengthened and energy is restored. Electronics impact both of these processes.
Imbalance of Energy
Feng shui practice strives to balance yin and yang energy throughout a given space. Yin energy, the more receptive and passive form of energy, is preferred in bedroom spaces because it is more restful and calm. Electronics have more yang energy, which is disruptive and active. This can create an atmosphere that does not induce rest and relaxation.
Chaotic Environment
Feng shui design endeavors to create a soothing and restful environment, one that is free of clutter and chaos. The presence of electronics creates a more cluttered environment, one that is disruptive and stressful.
TV as Mirror
TVs, in particular, are problematic in feng shui bedrooms. Feng shui practitioners view TVs as mirrors. Most TVs in bedrooms face the bed, but mirrors facing the bed in feng shui designs are problematic. Mirrors create a distorted view of the viewer, which can impact how you see yourself. Mirrors should never reflect someone while they are sleeping because it disturbs the sleeper’s rest by creating anxiety.
Disrupts the Flow of Energy
Feng shui experts also believe that the EMT radiation emitted from electronics disrupts the natural energy flow throughout the bedroom.
Benefits of Sleep Without Electronics
It is a hard stretch to imagine our bedrooms without electronics, but there are tangible benefits if you make this leap.
- Better Sleep Quality – When you remove electronics from your room, you will not have noise disturbances, EMT radiation, and blue light interference. These factors will immediately increase your sleep quality and duration.
- More Relaxation – No access to new or social media can help you reduce external distractions and create a more restful bedroom atmosphere.
- Increased Mindfulness – A bedroom without electronics will encourage you to be more present in the moment and encourage a deeper level of thought.
- Better Relationships – Having electronics in the bedroom is like inviting the presence of extra people into the room. Eliminating these will increase your time and connection with loved ones.
7 Ways to Remove Electronics from the Bedroom
No one said that removing electronics from the bedroom is an easy task, but it is one that will reward you every night.
Designated Charging Area
For most of us, our charging station is right by our beds. Instead, set up a designated area in a kitchen or home office that houses and recharges your electronics. This will keep these devices out of the room and create a more clutter-free space.
Use a Traditional Alarm Clock
Instead of using your smartphone as an alarm clock, use a traditional analog clock. You can find many stylish options that help to accentuate the style of your bedroom and negate the temptation to take a quick peek at your phone before bed.
Develop a New Nighttime Routine
Taking away electronics before bed requires a new bedtime routine for many people. Rather than turn to your electronics to wind down, try some new techniques like taking a bath, engaging in meditation, or spending time talking with a partner.
Engaging Reading Material
Many of us wish we had more time to read the latest books and magazines but never seem to find the time. Recapture an early love and engage with the written word before bed. It will help you keep up to date with current ideas and make you sleepy.
Write in a Journal
Just like reading, some people miss having time to write in a journal. Take the time to invest in a designated journal or notebook and spend time writing down thoughts and ideas from the day.
No Working Zone
Even the most dedicated workaholics need time to rest and rejuvenate. Otherwise, they will be operating with an energy deficit the next day. Make your bedroom a work-free zone. This will allow you to tackle your work the next day with a reenergized mind and body.
Set Good Boundaries with Family and Friends
It is not necessary for most of us to be available to our family and friends all day and all night. Unless your job or family situation prevents getting your phone out of your room, let your friends and family know what time you put away your phone. This will encourage them to reach out to you at times during the day or early evening.
Ways to Mitigate the Effect of Electronics in the Bedroom
Modern life and jobs sometimes don’t cooperate with our need for electronics out of the bedroom. Here are some steps that you can take to reduce the harmful effects of electronics if they are necessary in your bedroom.
Minimize Your Devices
Just because you have some necessary electronics in your bedroom doesn’t mean that you should have an electronic free-for-all. Try to limit the number of electronics to only the ones that are necessary for your job or for your comfort.
Avoid Using Electronics Before Bed
Some jobs and family situations require electronics like mobile phones near the bed. Set a time, ideally at least one hour before bed, when you will not use your screen. This will allow your brain to relax before sleep.
Keep Electronics Away From the Bed
Set a place away from your bed where you can store phones, computers, and tablets. This will reduce the harmful effects of blue light and EMF radiation.
Make Your Room and Bed Comfortable
Try to create a soothing atmosphere in your bedroom even if you do need to keep electronics in your room. Consider good quality bed linens and a mattress that is comfortable. Invest in blackout curtains to create a dark environment to induce better sleep.
Use Blue Light Glasses
Blue light glasses help to shield you from the most harmful effects of blue light. Certain scientific studies have shown that these can be effective in reducing the impact of blue light on the body’s sleep-wake cycle.
Turn Down the Brightness
When you do decide to use your phone before bed, it is best to turn down the brightness. Reducing the screen’s brightness can help to reduce your brain stimulation.
Use Specialized Programs and Apps
Technology has become so advanced. Use these advancements to help you use your electronics more wisely. There are programs that turn your phone off at designated times. This will help reinforce a good nighttime routine.
Cover Your Electronic Devices
Purchase storage options that help you to cover your electronic devices. These include nightstands with drawers where you can store your phone or laptop while you sleep. Large cupboards or wardrobes are useful to help to cover a TV while you sleep.