Digital Devices>> Sleep Disorders • Australia
If you are hooked on an iPad, or any other tablet computer, beware. The hand-held digital device could lead to sleep disorders. Australian researcher Shantha Rajaratnam says there is growing evidence that the night time use of portable digital devices is likely to compound the problems associated with artificial lighting.
“The advent of electric lighting impacted sleep-wake patterns. With proliferation of electronic devices that emit light, these problems will increase,” said Rajatnam, professor of psychology and psychiatry at Monash University. “Preliminary reports indicate the level of light emission from digital devices over a week or so is sufficient to delay the timing of the circadian clock.”
Amanda Gamble, clinical psychologist in Sydney, says she is seeing an increasing number of patients with screen-related sleep problems. Dimming screen brightness may help reduce the effect but Rajaratnam says the best way is to shut down the device at least an hour before bed time.
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