Smartphones have become an inseparable object in our daily life. And most people can’t spend one minute away from their phone. And this can cause a few problems. We have all heard of things like how harmful it is to use your phone before sleep or that we shouldn’t keep our phone near our bed when we sleep. And they’re both true.
But do you know how far should the phone actually be? And what happens if you keep your phone near the bed or under your pillow? Stay tuned to learn about the details
Why shouldn’t your phone be near your bed during sleep?
There are several reasons why it’s better to not have your phone near your bed when you’re asleep, like the harmful radiation, blue light, or the distraction it causes for you before sleep.
cell phone radiation
Our phones, emit radio-frequency radiation to receive and send send signals for information. And being exposed to this radiation for long can affect your biological system. A research published by Wiley library shows that exposure to nonthermal RFR can potentially impact your memory, learning capacity, sleep disorders, and even cause depression and anxiety. And in cases it can be a potential reason for EEG changes and even brain tumors.
Other experts have found that radiation from cell phones can increase the risk of cancer, mental issues and reproduction health problems. A study shows that exposure to phone radiation can lead to a decrease in testosterone level. You can learn more about the sleep hygiene related to increasing testosterone level and the link between sleeping naked and T hormone.
blue light
If you have ever experienced having difficulty falling asleep after using your phone right before bed, you’re not alone. Most people deal with this issue every night. This is one of the effects of blue light exposure. Blue light affects your circadian rhythm and tricks your brain into thinking it’s daytime. This causes your body to think that you need energy and hence you can’t fall asleep. Another harm of blue light is the decreased quality of sleep. This can lead to you waking up tired even after sleeping for 8 hours.
Another reason why blue light exposure is not recommended before bed, is because it can supress the production of melatonin in your brain. Melatonin is also known as the sleep hormone as its production is increased at night to help you fall asleep.
Experts recommend to stop working with any electronic device with blue light such as phone or laptop 2 hours before bed, to prevent your circadian rhythm to fall out of sync.
distraction to fall asleep
Keeping your phone near your bed can cause you a lot of distractions with notifications and temptations to check them out. It only takes “i’ll just check this message and then i’ll put it away” to suddenly realize you’ve been scrolling on Instagram for an hour.
So, how ever hard might be, you can try to at least put your phone on airplane mode to get less distracted by the notification and pop-ups.
Another benefit of putting your phone far from your bed is for for people who are heavy sleepers and have difficulty waking up. Placing the phone far from bed and an alarm that gradually gets louder can make you get out of bed in order to turn it off.
how far away should your phone be from your body?
Ok, let’s talk about the real deal. We know why we shouldn’t have our phones near our body. But how far should it be?
Everybody’s sensitivity to RFR is different. So, to be sure, it is advised to keep your electronic devices such as phone, at least 3 feet (1 meter) away from your body.
Reasons why you shouldn’t use your phone before sleep
blue light exposure
As we mentioned before, blue light can make it difficult to fall asleep. One of the health problems that long exposure to blue light can cause, is damaging the retinal cells and causing vision problems.
If you really need to use your phone, it is best to:
- keep the phone at least 12 inches (30 centimeters) away from your face and eyes.
- use blue filter on your phone
- use blue control glasses
your sleep cycle can be disrupted
Using your phone right before can disrupt your sleep cycle due to the blue light from the screen and the distraction the notifications and information cause you.
Airplane mode Vs. turning off the phone
if you want to prevent the radiation from disturbing your sleep and long-term health, you can either turn off your phone before bed, or put it on airplane mode. But is there a difference between them? And which is one id more efficient?
Phones produce radiation when the receive or pass signals to another device. If you turn on the airplane mode, or simply turn the phone off, no signal can pass through, and hence, no radiation. So, in terms of radiation, both options are safe and recommended.
If you’re one of those people how use their phone for morning alarms, it’s ok to just turn on the airplane mode. However, if you can’t fight with the temptations to chech your phone before bed, we recommend to turn the phone off and use an alarm clock.
Tips for a better sleep and away from phone radiation
I hope you’re convinced by now that using your phone before bed and putting it next to you is harmful. So, now let’s see what we should do to have a better sleep:
- Don’t use your phone 2 hours before bed. And yes, it does sound impossible. But that’s the price we should pay for a good night sleep🥲
- place your phone at least 3 feet away from your body.
- turn on the airplane mode to reduce the radiation or turn off the phone completely
- Don’t charge your phone near your bed
Studies show that cactus can absorb radiation. They say it’s helpful to have a cactus plant near your bed side. However, keep in mind that the study specify EMF radiation which is a low frequency radiation such as internal building wiring system or panels. which is quite different from RF that is high frequency such as wireless cell phones and cell towers.
FAQs about sleeping with phone near bed
how far away should my phone be for a healthy sleep?
In order to be safe from the radiofrequency radiation, it is advised to be at least 3 feet (1 meter) away from your phone when you want to go to bed.
does the airplane mode stop the radiations?
Phones produce radiofrequency radiation when they either search for or receive a signal. So, if the phone is in airplane mode, it does cut the majority of the radiation.
where should my phone be during sleep?
It’s better to put your phone somewhere that is at least 3 feet away from your head. Some people, if they don’t need the phone’s alarm system, they leave their phone in a different room totally. However, if you will be needing your phone in the morning, try to put it somewhere far from your head like on the ground or a desk.
Can I put my phone under the pillow when I sleep?
Let us know if you find a more dangerous place to put your phone during sleep! The closest way to your brain is the pillow you rest your head on.
does the phone radiation pass through the wall?
the radiations from phones are around 900MHz. And it’s said that walls can absorb 75% to 99% of the RF produced by electronic devices.
