Inside Parkinson's

Did you know that our cellphones, computers, and other electronics emit blue light and this blue light can keep you awake at night?  If you are having trouble sleeping at night, you may want to put your electronic devices away for the night.

The reason for putting away our electronics at night is significant. Blue light is emitted from all our cell phones and electronics. Humans were not meant to stay up all night, they should rise with the sun and rest in the dark. Now we have electricity, cell phones, computers, and televisions. All of these electronics expose us to blue light. This restrains the production of melatonin, which controls your sleep-wake cycle. If you interfere with the production of melatonin, you will not sleep well.

I recently had difficulty sleeping at night, partly due to looking at my cell phone.  I started a new practice which involves stepping away from the electronics two hours before bedtime. This has turned out to be enjoyable because I spend that time relaxing, sitting outside, reading, or doing a jigsaw puzzle.  I am sleeping much better and some nights, I even sleep through the entire night. Love those nights.

Good sleep hygiene is a common practice to help someone get a good night’s sleep. I intend to carry out the steps for good sleep hygiene from now on.  Part of living with Parkinson’s is that you need to be disciplined and consistent.  When you go off your routine or regimen your symptoms return. It’s unfair, but that’s how it is. It takes determination to do the necessary sleep hygiene routine needed for a good night’s sleep.

Here is an article by Harvard Health Publishing about the blue light being emitted from electronics. That blue light literally is keeping us awake. If you look at your cell phone at night you are throwing your circadian rhythm out of whack. If you are having trouble sleeping, you may want to evaluate what electronics you are looking at two hours before bedtime.