Health experts typically advise against using mobile phones right before bedtime. They argue that the blue light emitted by screens negatively impacts the process of falling asleep and can disrupt sleep itself by suppressing the body’s production of melatonin, the hormone that induces drowsiness. Therefore, experts recommend putting down your phone at least an hour before sleep.
However, a new study contradicts these official recommendations, suggesting that the light from phone screens does not hinder the ability to fall asleep. Researchers from Flinders University in Australia found no scientific basis for any concerns regarding blue light.
Indeed, the scientists acknowledged that blue light—part of the visible spectrum emitted by phones, tablets, televisions, and other devices—is present. However, the team did not find compelling evidence that blue light affects our eyes in a way that makes it harder to fall asleep. Instead, they discovered the real reason behind the complaints about mobile phones from those struggling to sleep. Researchers believe that smartphones and iPhones disrupt sleep simply because we don’t turn them off at night, as reported by the Daily Mail.
What the Researchers Found
Dr. Michael Gradisar, a clinical psychologist, sleep expert, and lead author of the study, analyzed the results of 11 studies examining the relationship between blue light from smartphones and sleep.
One of the most convincing studies, conducted about ten years ago, showed that light from phone screens delays sleep onset by 10 minutes. “But does a delay of ten minutes really matter?” Dr. Gradisar questioned.
In his view, the primary reason phones actually disrupt sleep lies not in blue light but in the fact that people don’t turn them off.
This sentiment is echoed by Russell Foster, a professor of circadian neurobiology at the University of Oxford in the UK. “There is no evidence that blue light from screens has any significant impact at all,” he believes. According to him, the amount of light a person receives from screens is relatively small. The real issue is that phones often remain on next to the bed, which can indeed be detrimental to sleep—especially if one finds themselves using it in the middle of the night.