Preliminary Health Care Podcast

More at: http://preliminaryhealthcare.blogspot.com/2014/12/ereaders-hurting-your-sleep.html Exposure to light (especially light of the blue spectrum) acts as a signal to your brain to keep you awake; conversely, dim light triggers the release of the sleep hormone called "melatonin." Electronic-screen devices are particularly rich in bright, blue-spectrum light. A recent study demonstrated the detrimental effects of these devices on sleep by asking participants to read either a book in either paper form or electronic-screen form. Those who used an electronic device demonstrated worse suppressed melatonin release, reduced quality of sleep, and decreased alertness the following day. To improve your sleep (link to eBook), it is best to eliminate electronic-screen viewing several hours before bed. If you read before bed, it is best to read from a paper book or a kindle eReader (which only reflects ambient light). You may also consider downloading a program called f.lux to your screen devices, which adjusts the s