How putting away devices before bed improves sleep

Published: May 28, 2024

How putting away devices before bed improves sleep

Author: Movieguide® Contributor

Fox News’ Dr. Nicole Saphier shares how putting away electronics before bed can improve your sleep.

“30 to 50% of Americans say they have trouble sleeping. 10% of them sleep so badly that it interferes with their daily life,” she told FOX & FRIENDS.

She shared some tips on how to improve your sleep. First? “It is necessary to say goodbye to electronics,” she emphasized.

The Sleep Foundation explained that the blue light emitted by devices can affect the body’s production of melatonin. The facility explains:

Backlit electronic devices such as cell phones, tablets, e-readers, and computers emit enriched short-wavelength light, also known as blue light. Fluorescent and LED lights they also emit blue light, which has been shown to reduce or delay natural melatonin production in the evening and reduce feelings of sleepiness. Blue light may also reduce the duration of slow wave sleep and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, two stages of the sleep cycle necessary for cognitive functioning.

Saphier advises putting away devices “at least an hour before bed.” This signals to your brain that the bright lights are gone. It’s time to go to bed.”

It also encourages people to write down their worries and to-do lists, exercise during the day, avoid heavy meals before bed, keep the room cool and drink herbal tea to help sleep.

In addition to her work as a doctor, Saphier is a mother. She spoke openly about her teenage pregnancy and how it brought her closer to her family.

“You know what, the moment I told (her mom Becky she was pregnant) I showed up at her work, she was visibly shocked, I was supposed to be at school… and she just kept her emotions to herself. “The moment she could have yelled at me, she could have shown her disappointment, her fear, and she didn’t just say, ‘I’ll be there for you no matter what you decide,'” Saphier said.

“She didn’t tell me what to do, she didn’t make false promises that everything would be easy or that everything would be fine, but she just said she would be there for me,” she continued.

This promise of support made a huge difference when she became a mother at such a young age. Knowing she had her mother by her side, Saphier continued to pursue her dreams and eventually became a licensed physician while raising her son.

Saphier writes about this stage of her story and many other joyful and difficult moments of motherhood in her new book, “Love, Mom.” However, the book does not focus solely on her experiences. It is full of motherhood stories of many strong women.

“The common theme in many of these stories was… leaning on their faith and leaning on their church community or whatever gave them strength and support,” she explained. “A common misconception is that people think that relying on people or asking for help is a sign of weakness; no, it’s not. Leaning on people and asking for help will make you stronger because together we are stronger.”

“I Love Mom” ​​is now available.

Previously reported on Movieguide®:

The book contains numerous interviews and stories of strong mothers who talk about their parenting experiences. It is divided into sections, each focusing on a different aspect of motherhood.

“There is no such thing as a mother who would not use her resilience at least once, twice, ten thousand times, because in the period of motherhood there are constant ups and downs, and I am talking not only about things that come our way, but even emotionally.” – Saphier said. “Right after your baby is born, emotions really go up and down.”

“We talk about feelings or anxieties or feelings of depression or, you know, things that kind of keep us stuck and make us think that maybe we’ll never get to where we want to be, and actually it’s resilience and just in kind of pushing through these obstacles and you just have to believe in yourself,” she added.

Another aspect of motherhood she focused on was self-care. While it may be tempting to put your children before yourself, you still need to take care of your own needs to be a good mom.