Getting in bed with... gadgets

Getting in bed with... gadgets

There’s no question that in recent years, regular smartphone, tablet, and other gadget users have developed a strong bond with their technology. More and more people find themselves riddled with separation anxiety if they leave their phone at home, or even if it’s in a different room. For many gadget users, a popular time to get really plugged in to technology is in the downtime right before bed—in fact, more and more people will say that they can’t sleep without spending time reading a tablet, browsing the web, or watching Netflix. But this particular time for gadget addiction, right before going to sleep, can be more harmful than helpful to good rest. New studies show that not only are most people sleeping with their smartphones in the bed with them, they’re also struggling to sleep well, even if they don’t realize it. Not only does the light from your gadgets suppress sleep-inducing melatonin, there’s a good chance that you’ve been woken up by a call or text message in the middle of the night recently. In fact, many people say that if they happen to awake in the middle of the night, the natural reaction is to reach for their phone. The psychology behind why we feel so addicted to our gadgets is a field that is just now burgeoning, and for the future health of technology users everywhere, it’s probably worth looking into.

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