by Sofia Moreau

Tech addiction is a global phenomenon, from midnight Instagram scrolling to late night digital news updates. On average, we spend a whopping 2.5 hours daily on social media alone. Considering that over 36% of the UK population battles weekly sleep disturbances and 20% nightly, we must take a hard look at the interplay between sleep deprivation and tech use.
Electronics and Sleep: A Contradictory Relationship
Haphazard lighting from electronics interferes with our circadian rhythms, especially our sleep-wake cycle. Devices like smartphones, tablets, and computers emit short-wavelength light, aka blue light. This has been shown to delay the natural release of melatonin, our sleep hormone, disrupting our feelings of sleepiness. Ven worse, one study found a 1.5 hour delay in melatonin onset as a result of a night of e-reading.
Before you reach for the blue-light filters on your iPhone or Android, reconsider. They may not be the foolproof solution they seem. Research by the University of Manchester suggests making the display more ‘yellow’ is worse than the regular ‘blue’ mode. Dr. Tim Bond, natural health and sleep expert, explains, “Colour-sensing cone cells in the eye may be more receptive to yellow light than to blue. Using a device in night mode may amplify the signals from your eyes to your brain that it isn’t time for sleep.”
Among the consequences of tech-induced sleep deprivation are mood shifts, reduced mental processing, weight gain, anxiety, and poor sports performance due to reduced focus and motor control.
Tech Tools for Better Sleep?
Counterintuitively, sleep expert James Wilson proposes using tech to combat tech-induced sleeplessness. He suggests that “These sleep gadgets can help deliver soothing, calming content to lower your heart rate and move you into a sleep-ready state.” Moreover, specific tech can directly impact your nervous system, creating a sense of calm.
A Quick Tech Tip:
Is your mobile phone a sleep necessity? Consider the ‘Sleep Halo.’ This gadget, a wireless phone charger, is built with electromagnetic-field shielding to direct phone radiation away from your bed. Of users polled, 89% reported they felt they slept better with SleepHalo.

SEO Keywords: sleep gadgets, tech-induced sleep deprivation, smartphone addiction, e-reading, blue light, sleep health, sleep expert, tech and sleep, sleep deprivation