{"id":26672,"date":"2022-12-30T13:41:26","date_gmt":"2022-12-30T13:41:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2022\/12\/30\/is-it-bad-to-sleep-next-to-your-phone\/"},"modified":"2022-12-30T13:41:26","modified_gmt":"2022-12-30T13:41:26","slug":"is-it-bad-to-sleep-next-to-your-phone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2022\/12\/30\/is-it-bad-to-sleep-next-to-your-phone\/","title":{"rendered":"Is It Bad to Sleep Next to Your Phone?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Ladanifer \/ Shutterstock.com<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Many people use their phone until the moment of falling asleep, then it\u2019s literally in bed with them\u2014or charging nearby<\/a>\u2014all night. Using your phone before bed is already not great, but is the close proximity bad too?<\/p>\n

Researchers agree<\/a> that using a phone before bedtime can cause poor-quality sleep. However, what about when we\u2019re finally asleep? Does having the phone nearby subliminally affect us? And are there any health risks associated with sleeping near a mini computer every night?<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> Is Charging Your Phone All Night Bad For the Battery?<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

How Your Phone Makes Your Sleep Worse<\/h2>\n

First, let\u2019s talk about the effects of having a phone nearby on sleep. As mentioned, it\u2019s generally agreed that using a phone before<\/em> bed is not good. The bright screen and endless stimulus<\/a> disrupt our sleep cycles and prevent our brain from \u201cshutting off.\u201d<\/p>\n

These are the same concerns with having a phone nearby while you\u2019re actually sleeping. Most people wake up a few times throughout the night. It can be tempting to grab your phone in those times when you\u2019re struggling to fall back asleep.<\/p>\n

A blast of bright light<\/a> in your eyes and a \u201cquick\u201d scroll through Instagram is not going to help you fall back asleep. It\u2019s signaling to your brain and body that sleep time is over, and that\u2019s the exact opposite of what you want. Putting your phone out of arms reach can help curb this temptation.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> Do Blue Light Glasses Work? Everything You Need to Know<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Are There Other Health Risks?<\/h2>\n

What about the health risks of sleeping next to your phone? People have been worried about electronics emitting radiation<\/a> for a long time. Is there any truth to those concerns<\/a>?<\/p>\n

Smartphones are able to communicate by transmitting radio waves through a network of antennas. These radio waves\u2014also called radiofrequency waves\u2014are electromagnetic fields. Unlike the radiation you\u2019re probably familiar with\u2014like from x-rays\u2014electromagnetic fields cannot\u00a0break chemical bonds nor cause ionization in the body.<\/p>\n

In 2014, the International Agency for Research on Cancer\u00a0(IARC) classified electromagnetic fields from smartphones as \u201cpossibly carcinogenic to humans<\/a>.\u201d However, the organization has found no\u00a0increased risk of head or neck cancers with smartphone use of more than 10 years. Other studies have had similar results, though the American Cancer Society points out<\/a> it\u2019s a hard thing to study.<\/p>\n

The results of a more recent study were published in 2018 by\u00a0the US National Toxicology Program (NTP). They found an increased risk of uncommon heart tumors in male rats, but not in female rats or male or female mice<\/em>. The NTP study also reported possible increased risks of certain types of tumors in the brain and in the adrenal glands.<\/p>\n

However, a review of this study\u00a0determined that it didn\u2019t allow conclusions to be drawn regarding the ability of radiofrequency energy to cause cancer. The NTP does not include radiofrequency radiation in its list of carcinogenic exposures<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, we don\u2019t have a clear-cut answer for the effects of sleeping next to a smartphone. Plus, most of us are not only near our phones in bed. You probably have one in your pocket or your hands right this moment. Any health risks that would come with sleeping near your phone would also most likely apply to your daily life.<\/p>\n

What we do know is that exposure to the electromagnetic fields significantly drops off as you get further away from the device. You\u2019re probably near your phone all day, so why not give it some space at night? There\u2019s really no reason to sleep with your phone next to you in bed, and you might be wasting time with sleep trackers, too<\/a>.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> You’re Tracking Your Sleep Wrong<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n