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Evening use of light-emitting tablets may disrupt healthy sleep

Date:
May 23, 2018
Source:
Wiley
Summary:
A new study reveals that evening use of light-emitting tablets can induce delays in desired bedtimes, suppress secretion of melatonin (the hormone that regulates sleep and wakefulness), and impair next-morning alertness.
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A new Physiological Reports study reveals that evening use of light-emitting tablets can induce delays in desired bedtimes, suppress secretion of melatonin (the hormone that regulates sleep and wakefulness), and impair next-morning alertness.

Nine healthy adults participated in a randomized and counterbalanced study comparing 5 consecutive evenings of unrestricted use of light-emitting tablet computers versus evenings reading from printed materials.

On evenings when using light-emitting tablets, participants' self-selected bedtimes were on average half an hour later, and they showed suppressed melatonin levels, delayed timing of melatonin secretion onset, and later sleep onset. When using the tablets, participants rated themselves as less sleepy in the evenings and less alert in the first hour after awakening on the following mornings.

"These findings provide more evidence that light-emitting electronic devices have biological effects," said co-author Dr. Jeanne Duffy, of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School. "Using light-emitting electronic devices in the late evening can postpone our decision to go to sleep, and make us more sleepy the next morning."


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Materials provided by Wiley. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


Journal Reference:

  1. Evan D. Chinoy, Jeanne F. Duffy, Charles A. Czeisler. Unrestricted evening use of light‐emitting tablet computers delays self‐selected bedtime and disrupts circadian timing and alertness. Physiological Reports, 2018; DOI: 10.14814/phy2.13692

Cite This Page:

Wiley. "Evening use of light-emitting tablets may disrupt healthy sleep." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 23 May 2018. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/05/180523080206.htm>.
Wiley. (2018, May 23). Evening use of light-emitting tablets may disrupt healthy sleep. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 28, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/05/180523080206.htm
Wiley. "Evening use of light-emitting tablets may disrupt healthy sleep." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/05/180523080206.htm (accessed March 28, 2024).

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