I was at a conference on stress reduction this past week. Among many other things, there was emphasis on the importance of getting proper sleep. In fact, it was noted that in the last several decades Americans are sleeping 1 1/2 hours less per night. One of the culprits noted was our reliance on technological devices such as computers, cell phones, tablets.
So, are you getting your proper rest and sleep at night? The chances are good that you are not, particularly if you are overly dependent on your technology devices. Do you worry and obsess when you are out of electronic contact for over an hour? Do you experience panic when your device is out of power and you can't find your charger? Do you ruminate about how much you miss when you are asleep? Do you sleep with your cell phone on and near, waking up to check it one or more times during the night? If so, you may be less efficient and productive the next day following your nocturnal technology struggles. Whether you are the leader or an employee in your work organization, both you and the company's productivity may suffer from your behaviors. I recall a supervisor in an organization who was checking her cell phone so often during meetings which she chaired that when someone asked her a question, she was unable to answer as she had not been paying attention to the meeting she was leading. Is this an extreme example? Maybe.
There is an increase in recent research regarding the impact of technology upon you and your brain. In various sleep studies related to the psychology of technology, Dr. Larry Rosen and colleagues at California State University, Dominguez Hills, have noted two important variables facilitating our use of technology leading to poor sleep. Those two variables are poor executive functioning (ability to pay attention, organize our activities, solve problems, and make decisions) and anxiety at work and in your personal life contributing to fear of missing something important. Dr. Rosen and colleagues consider that anxiety is the more critical factor leading to the frequent checking and use of phones during the day and waking up at night to check the phone, resulting in poorer sleep.
So what happens to your brain when you are up checking your devices? We have discussed this in detail in our comprehensive book on stress management (I Can't Take It Anymore: How to Manage Stress so It Doesn't Manage You; Paul G. Longobardi, Ph.D., and Janice B. Longobardi, R.N., B.S.N., P.H.N.), available on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/dp/ 1542458056. For more information about the book and authors, please visit our website at www.manageyourhealthandstress.com. Anxious people have more cortisol in the brain. This makes us alert, ready to take action. That is good when you need to be so. It is not good when you're trying to get ready to sleep. Yet, the blue light from your devices (phones, tablets, computers) increases the release of cortisol in the brain and prevents the production of melatonin, which is needed to fall asleep. The National Sleep Foundation has recommended that you turn off all devices an hour prior to bedtime. Anxious people have more cortisol generally in their system, which further interferes with sleep. They have shorter attention spans and switch between one task and another more often than less anxious persons. This multitasking has not been found to be effective and also results in increased levels of cortisol, the stress hormone. And, as I asked earlier, do you sleep with your cell phone on and near your bed? If so, that further disrupts your sleep. With less efficient sleep, you lose the benefits of healthy sleep which includeneural rejuvenation and the elimination of various brain products not needed for good brain health.
Increased sleep deprivation in this country is leading to less efficient learning, higher emotionality, increased anxiety, and a less efficient brain. Do you want such outcomes in your personal and work life? I am sure you do not. So what can you do? All recommendations are focused on decreasing your cortisol levels during the day and as you prepare for sleep:
Don't check your phone every time it goes off
Space out your checking to increase your response time to one hour
Turn off your devices one hour before going to sleep
Do not keep your devices in the bedroom
Do a routine activity in the hour before bedtime, e.g. watch a television program you enjoy
Dim room lights in the hour before going to sleep to increase your melatonin which helps sleep
As I often say about stress, it is a choice. Do not let it control you. In the same manner, do not let your devices control your life. Good luck
Dr. Paul Longobardi
For information on these and related topics, please visit my website at www.successandmindset.com