If you’re counting friends while you should be counting zeds, tweeting when you should be sleeping or hitting “refresh” when you should be hitting the hay, you’re not alone. A British study has found that nine out of ten people are sacrificing a good night’s sleep in order to stay online, using social media and checking email.
A survey by sleeping pill company Nytol polled two thousand people, and found that more than half went online while in bed, and one in five admitted they needed to check their Twitter, Facebook or email because they have a gnarly case of FOMO. Only one in ten people polled described their level of sleep as “good”.
But it’s not enough to switch off and jump straight into bed: Dr Chris Idzikowski, director of the Edinburgh Sleep Centre, said “Sufferers should try and avoid using phones, laptops, and other screen-based devices for at least an hour before bed.” The light emanated by electronic devices like laptops and smartphones
emulates daylight, and interrupts the body’s production of melatonin,
which helps us get to sleep.
This is over and above the sleepless nights that can be caused when that totally hot selfie of you on the beach in Bali only gets 3 likes, and one of them was from your mum.
Via smh.com.au
