Is Your iPad Disrupting Your Sleep?

At Nutrition53, we know that getting restful, restorative sleep every night is an essential component to feeling your best. This is exactly why we’ve developed the Sleep1 formula to help you combat insomnia, go to sleep faster, and wake up feeling rejuvenated.

Of course, we encourage all Sleep1 users to also practice good sleep habits to get the most benefit from our natural sleep aid. If you’re an iPad user and haven’t been sleeping as well as you could be, you may want to keep reading.

We’ve all heard that TV right before bedtime is a recipe for a restless night of sleep. Yet, many of us might not be considering the impact of other electronics on our ability to fall and stay asleep. In a recent study published in Applied Ergonomics, using iPads for two hours on their brightest settings suppressed melatonin by nearly 22%. Melatonin is a hormone produced by the pineal gland that helps induce sleep. Naturally released when the sun goes down and darkness occurs, melatonin production can be disrupted by large amounts of light during the evening hours.

Experts conclude that the volume of light emitted from tablets such as the iPad can alter melatonin production and the natural circadian rhythm of the body, causing a disruption of sleep. iPhones and other handheld devices may not have the same impact. Yet, some suspect that even a small amount of light from a smartphone could cause sleep problems.

If you’re in the habit of using an iPad before you hit the sack, you may want to take the following steps to minimize any sleep-reducing effects:

A filter for your tablet can cut wave lengths below 520 nanometers (nm). This can significantly reduce the glare and melatonin-busting light.

We tend to hold tablets closer to our face than we would a computer or TV. By sitting further away from the screen, you can reduce the negative effects of the light. Turning down the brightness on the device itself can help even more.

Give yourself at least an hour or so before bed to unwind and relax without electronics for the best chance of a good night’s sleep. Put down the iPad and smartphone and turn off the TV. You just may find that a set amount of “offline” time, along with Sleep1 is a recipe for the sleep you need for a restful night and a productive day!