How to use your phone at night without ruining your sleep

My nighttime routine is the following: wash my face, take out my contact lenses, put on my pajamas, slide into bed and scroll through my iPhone. I check Instagram, look at Twitter, read some news and play some games. I know it’s bad for my sleep, but it’s such a difficult habit to break.

The blue light that electronics like your phone, computer and tablet emit can totally destroy your sleep. Certain wavelengths of light suppress melatonin, a hormone that, when elevated, signals to the body that it’s time to sleep. Some people even take melatonin supplements before bed to help them sleep.

Thankfully, and annoyingly, a new study shows you can combat the effects of those blue lights by… wearing special glasses before bed. To conduct the study, scientists had 22 subjects wear blue-light-blocking glasses while using their electronics before bed and measured their sleep and melatonin levels.

The study found that the participants had significantly higher levels of melatonin and slept an average of 24 more minutes a night when they wore the glasses.

What does this mean for you? It might be time to invest in some anti-blue light glasses. You can buy the ones used in the study online for less than $10 per pair. You will definitely look like a big goofball wearing these bright yellow shades, but it might be worth it for a good night’s sleep.

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