Students with tests or presentations early in the mornings may want to put away their laptops and cellphones and make it an early night.
According to a new study, viewing work emails after 9 p.m. can negatively affect work performance the next morning.
The study, published in the journal “Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes,” found late night email-checking caused harm to sleep patterns, which caused work deficiency the next morning.
The cause was blue light, “the most disturbing kind of light,” emanating from laptops and smart phones and harming sleep.
Kathryn Saichuk, Student Health Center health promotion coordinator, said the blue light stimulates the brain, making it harder to get the deep stage of sleep needed to rest. Even with closed eyes, the body can still see the blue light and be stimulated, Saichuk said.
The study said phones caused more problems than other types of screens because they give off the most blue light, but Saichuk said anything giving off light harms the brain from getting deep stage sleep.
Saichuk said students should put phones and electronic devices away at least an hour before sleep.
The study only researched the effect of viewing work emails on phones and other screens, but Saichuk said non-work use of phones can have the same effect. The key is to not do anything that causes the brain to work hard, Saichuk said.
She also said going too long without sleep can cause psychological breakdowns.
“Sleep deprivation is used as a form of torture,” she said.
Saichuk suggested turning off all electronics and placing them at a distance while sleeping. She also suggested covering everything that causes illumination like clocks and radio screens. Though a light flickering or buzz from a phone may not cause people to wake up, the brain hears it and responds to it, Saichuk said.
Many students said they use technology right before bed and have it near them or in bed with them when they sleep.
“I use [my phone] for my alarm clock, but other than that I use it for relaxing before bed,” said Brittany Fint, microbiology junior.
Saichuk acknowledged that some people say the television helps them fall asleep, but she said it can still be harmful. She said the body is too tired to stay awake, making them initially fall asleep, but soon after they can’t stay asleep.
Saichuk said society is lacking in care for their bodies by not allowing it the quality of sleep it needs.
She suggested getting into a calm, quiet and dark environment before sleep. Saichuk said to call people if you need to talk – instead of texting – because the sound of someone’s voice can be soothing.