Finding Sleep in the Digital Age
James Flanagan
HST401-A
Finding
Sleep in the Digital Age
Sleep is
essential. A good night’s rest sets you up for a good and productive day, while
poor sleep leaves you groggy and moody until you get your morning coffee.
Despite how important sleep is, we are getting worse at it.
According to
a Gallup poll, there has been a steady decline in sleep satisfaction since
2013. Where in 2013, 56% of Americans reported getting as much sleep as they
needed, and recently in 2023, only 42% of Americans reported getting as much
sleep as needed. Interestingly, a decline in sleep correlates with an increase
in American smartphone ownership. It seems like smartphone usage may be the
problem. However, before looking into how smartphones may be impacting sleep,
it is important to understand what sleep is and how it works.
Contrary to common
belief, while we sleep our bodies and brains are not dormant. They work through
the night to collect and remove waste from the brain, regulate hormones, and
even create new neural pathways that allow us to create memories and learn new
things. To accomplish all of this in a single rest, the body divides the work
into two phases. The first sleep phase is the non-REM, which stands for
non-rapid eye movement. During non-REM sleep, heart rate and breathing slow
down, and body temperature decreases. While this is happening new neural
pathways are being created in the brain, which permanently reinforces any
memories or new skills learned during the day. After this the body transitions
to REM sleep, during this phase, the brain becomes almost as active as it is
during waking hours. This is when we have our dreams, but much more than that
is going on. In the background, the brain is removing any waste chemicals and
hormones that were produced during the day. These two phases alternate on
90-minute cycles with each iteration, the amount of time spent in REM sleep
increases.
This process is
complex and so our bodies need a way to direct themselves into sleep.
This is what the circadian rhythm is for. The circadian rhythm is the
body's internal clock which tries to determine when you should go to sleep. It
does this by responding to light, when it starts to get dark, the body starts
producing melatonin, which is the hormone that tells your body to go to sleep.
When exposed to bright light melatonin production is suppressed. Additionally,
the circadian rhythm controls the sensitivity of melatonin receptors on a daily
cycle, which causes there to be parts of the day where melatonin is more potent
as the receptors are more active. This system is designed to work great for
most people, disable the melatonin receptors during the day when people are
working, and start producing melatonin when it gets dark at night which is when
most people want to sleep. However, modern technology is interfering with this
cycle.
Smartphones are
everywhere and with them comes a new type of light pollution. Which is blue
light pollution. Until recently, most blue light exposure came from the sun,
but now people have access to blue light at any time of the day through the
screens on their smartphones. Blue light is the most important thing here
because our eyes are most sensitive to blue light. This means a small amount of
blue light is enough to trick the brain into thinking it is bright out. The
brain’s natural response to a bright environment is to slow melatonin
production, so looking at a blue light emitting phone screen right before bed
can make it more difficult to fall asleep.
As seen in the
chart above, most American adults keep their phones near them all the time,
even while they are sleeping. This means that most Americans are constantly
bombarding themselves with extra blue light, disrupting their circadian rhythm.
Additionally, smartphones harm sleep in other ways too, primarily through
distraction.
This phenomenon is
known as Bedtime Procrastination. Dutch social and behavioral scientist Floor
M. Kroese says Bedtime Procrastination follows this definition, “First, falling
asleep is actively delayed. Second, there is a lack of a valid reason for staying
up late. And third, there is an awareness that putting off bedtime could have
negative consequences.” Access to smartphones with endless content and
distractions easily enables this kind of behavior. All it takes is one
notification to draw a user into mindlessly scrolling social media, and they do
it because in the moment it feels better than going to sleep.
What can be done
to reduce these disruptions? Online there are so many articles claiming that
they know the secret to getting better sleep, but most of this advice is
outdated, or not completely true. The simplest way to stop screens from
interfering with your circadian rhythm is to stop using screens before bed.
According to the Cleveland Health Clinic, it is recommended to stop using any
electronic devices 1 to 2 hours before going to bed. This allows your body to
produce its natural melatonin signaling you to go to sleep on time. However,
this is becoming more difficult, as many people now do most of their work on
computers and other devices. Also, some household devices like thermostats and
light switches are being digitized, allowing them to be remotely controlled
from a smartphone. So yes, avoiding screens before bed may make it easier to
fall asleep, but technology is becoming so convenient and important that
avoiding its use is too much of an inconvenience.
Another popular
solution to fixing sleep is taking supplemental melatonin. According to a study
from the Journal of the American Health Association, daily melatonin usage has
increased from 0.4% of Americans in 2000, to 2.1% in 2018. The thought process behind
taking a melatonin supplement is simple, if the body is not producing enough
melatonin to make itself tired a supplement could artificially boost it to a
level that causes sleepiness. David Neubauer, an associate professor of
psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Johns Hopkins Medicine, says “There is
weak evidence that it may be beneficial to a limited extent in helping people
get to sleep. It’s less likely to help people stay asleep.” Despite a lack of
evidence of melatonin’s effectiveness, it continues to grow in popularity due
to a lack of understanding of the role melatonin plays in falling asleep. As
discussed earlier, the sensitivity of the brain’s melatonin receptors is
controlled by the circadian rhythm. So, if the circadian rhythm has been thrown
off by artificial blue light and supplemental melatonin is taken, the body is
not prepared for the sudden increase. This can have the desired effect of
putting one to sleep, but since it is irregular it does not cause quality
sleep.
In the brain,
there are MT1 melatonin receptors that trigger REM sleep when exposed to
melatonin. Supplemental melatonin is commonly sold in dosages of 5mg, which is
about 16 times larger than the 0.3mg of melatonin that the body produces on its
own. Melatonin is sold in dosages this large because it allows manufacturers to
fit more melatonin in the same size bottle, taking advantage of common consumer
psychology where more of something is better. Frequently taking large doses of
melatonin supplements can increase melatonin levels higher than your body
naturally does which can interfere with switching between sleep phases. The
increased presence of melatonin causes MT1 receptors to fire more often which
lengthens the time spent in REM sleep. While REM sleep is very important to
feeling well rested in the morning, too much of it can be an issue. It is the
deepest phase of sleep and should not be interrupted, but by lengthening it,
the chance that a user wakes up during REM sleep increases. This is why some
melatonin users report feelings of increased grogginess in the morning. What’s
important is maximizing quality sleep, not hours spent sleeping. Melatonin can
increase time spent sleeping, but it does not make it quality sleep. Melatonin
is better suited as a temporary sleep aid, to help overcome jet lag or adjust
to a new schedule.
A possible sleep
remedy that I would like to explore is lightboxes. A lightbox is a very bright
lamp that mimics the light the sun puts out. The recommended way to use a light
box is by being near it for 30-40 minutes within the first hour of waking up. The
idea behind it is that extended exposure to bright lights after waking can be
used to train the circadian rhythm where the start of the day is. When the
circadian rhythm knows when the day starts, then it will know when to tell the
brain to start releasing melatonin at night. As mornings are often busy, there
just isn’t time to go outside and take in sunlight for 30 minutes. Lightboxes
are a unique solution because they allow people to be exposed to intense light
while still allowing them to go about their morning as usual. It can be left in
the bathroom to provide light while getting ready for work, or at your desk so
you can get exposure while also working. The reason it’s effective is because
it works off the body's existing systems.
The most important
factor in getting healthy sleep is consistency. In a world full of
distractions, it’s hard to find that consistency. Devices disrupt our bodies’
natural sleep mechanisms through artificial blue light, and by providing too
much distraction late at night. Common sleep remedies, like supplemental
melatonin and avoiding devices, are not effective anymore. The future of better
sleep lies in the development of methods, such as light boxes.
Sources
https://www.verywellhealth.com/insomnia-treatment-option-phototherapy-3015202
https://www.soundofsleep.com/3-reasons-why-sleeping-next-to-your-phone-is-a-bad-idea/
https://scitechdaily.com/breakthrough-in-sleep-science-melatonins-key-role-in-rem-sleep-revealed/
https://www.rupahealth.com/post/tech-and-sleep-manage-screen-time
https://www.pcmag.com/news/most-americans-think-theyre-using-smartphones-too-much
https://www.sleepfoundation.org/how-sleep-works/what-happens-when-you-sleep#references-78218
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK526132/
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00779-022-01694-w
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