Digital devices are artificial light sources. Light exposure is related to how well we sleep. Interestingly, the way that we interact with light during the day might help with us sleep well at night.

How could digital minimalism help with sleep? 

<ul><li>Research has shown that people who spend time near office windows during the week day sleep better than people without office windows. </li><li>Interestingly, some research suggests that bright light exposure during the daytime might counteract sleep disturbance from light exposure during the night.</li><li>Light exposure during the night time is often coupled with light-emitting devices like tablets and smart phones. Information on those devices could be stressful or engaging, which may lead to sleep disruptions. </li></ul>

More bright light during the day might protect sleep at night. 

<ul><li>Social media platforms have endless streams of information that are designed to keep our attention and thereby keep us awake. </li><li>Social media use could also lead to pre-sleep arousal, or lingering thoughts about content. </li></ul>

Social media use can disturb sleep in several ways.

<ul><li>Shield your sleep interval from digital invasions. Limit time on social media platforms, especially before bed. </li><li>Instead of engaging in low quality activities on digital platforms, prioritize time with friends and family.</li><li>Shift your focus to analog activities near bedtime. For example, you could draw, write, or meditate in the evening hours. </li></ul>

How could we replace a social media habit to get better sleep? 

These ideas are based on Cal Newport’s book on Digital Minimalism. Has digital minimalism changed the way that you interact with technology? Have you noticed any changes in your sleep?

Reducing nighttime light exposure is a common sleep tip. Light is often coupled with using electronic devices (e.g., mobile phones, tablets). Our electronics also give us access to endless streams of…

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Health

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Technology & The Future

How Are Light, Social Media, and Our Sleep Related?, The Research Life.

People feel better and wake up more easily when they are exposed to bright light in the morning hours. When bright light enters the retina of our eyes, it transmit cues to our brain to stay alert. This early, bright light exposure can help us to fall asleep quicker, sleep more soundly, and experience less negative mood during the day.

Spending Time In Bright Light May Help With Sleep And Mood

Bright light exposure during the day has been linked with better sleep and mood. For example, office workers who have more natural light from windows in their work environments have higher quality sleep and fall asleep faster than those without well-lit offices. They also reported lower symptoms of depression than office workers without high levels of light exposure. Specifically, the individuals with natural light are more likely to:<ul><li>Experience higher sleep continuity throughout the night</li><li>Take less time to fall asleep</li><li>Report lower levels of negative emotions</li></ul>

Research Supports Health Benefits For Daytime Light Exposure

Bright light during the nighttime is not ideal for sleep. Exposure to bright light at night can suppress melatonin, or natural hormones that help us feel sleepy. Some research suggests that using “night shift mode” may not reduce melatonin suppression. Thus, using backlit electronic devices are not guaranteed to prevent mobile device usage from disrupting sleep. Moreover, pre-sleep arousal, or high cognitive engagement before sleep, may contribute to poor sleep regardless of using night shift mode or other forms of blocking bright light.

Studies Show That Evening Light Levels Should Be Low For Sleep

<ol><li> Find brightness in your day. Spend time outdoors. Take walking breaks. During the day, hang out near a window or a well-lit area.</li><li>Limit screen time before bed. Opt for analog activities in the late evening (e.g., 30 min. before bed). Read a relaxing book. Write “happiness” or gratitude lists in your journal. Chat over the phone with a good friend or listen to a podcast. </li><li>Calm yourself with a nighttime ritual. Practice calming activities to prepare for sleep. Practice the same, simple sleep steps each night. Modify them when you need to, and use this ritual as your go-to system to sleep well. </li></ol>

Practical Tips To Manage The Light In Our Environments For Sleep

Spending time in well-lit areas during the day is an undervalued method to sleep well at night and feel positive emotions during the day. 

Our bodies are designed to wake up in response to brightly-lit environments and to sleep in dark ones. For example, bright light that enters our eyes through the retina transmits cues to our internal…

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Habits

Brighten Your Days, Improve Your Sleep, and Uplift Your Mood, The Research Life.

Anything that is done before bed that is mentally or physically stimulating could induce pre-sleep arousal and disrupt sleep. Activities like working late on difficult problems or engaging in arguments might lead to lingering thoughts during the night.

Sleep Better By Lowering Pre-Sleep Arousal

Pre-sleep arousal can be cognitive or somatic.<ul><li>Cognitive pre-sleep arousal involves excessive thinking when trying to go to sleep. For example, replaying events of the waking day such as a heated argument or mistake at work could be classified as cognitive pre-sleep arousal. </li><li>Somatic or bodily pre-sleep arousal is any physical agitation within the body before bed. This could involve feeling muscle tension or jitteriness before sleep. Intense physical activity, like running or heavy weight lifting, might interfere with sleep if it is done too close before going to bed. </li></ul>

How is pre-sleep arousal defined?

The following behaviors might increase pre-sleep arousal and disrupt sleep. These activities should be avoided 1-2 hours before bedtime:<ul><li>Engaging with social media (e.g., scrolling Twitter, TikTok, Facebook) </li><li>Consuming stimulating or upsetting content before bed. This could include news articles, exciting TV shows, or engaging books. </li><li>Arguing with others or debating serious topics </li><li>Paying bills or manage finances near bedtime that may cause stress</li><li>Exercising intensely (e.g., weight lifting, running)</li></ul>

Reduce Pre-Sleep Arousal By Avoiding These Activities

There are several activities that can aid in feeling more calm before bed. Some examples to consider are listed below:<ul><li>Meditation</li><li>Gentle exercise (e.g. light stretching or yoga)</li><li>Reading a relaxing article or physical copy of a book (to avoid light from devices that may interfere with sleep)</li><li>Talking with loved ones</li></ul>

Calm yourself before bed with these activities

Having a consistent sleep schedule and calming routine may help with getting to sleep quicker and staying asleep throughout the night. We should avoid working on engaging or stressful tasks near bedtime to go to bed in a relaxed state. Consistent, high quality sleep is worth the time investment.

The Importance Of A Sleep Routine

Allowing ourselves some time to calm down before bed is important to getting high quality sleep. I outline some reasons why below. 

There are certain things that I consciously avoid near my bedtime because they almost always make for a worse night of sleep. When I work too late, I’m normally left with lingering work problems on…

Sleep Problems and Pre-Sleep Arousal, The Research Life.

In many sleep studies, the first night of sleep is omitted. This is because of the “first night effect,” or getting poor sleep on the first night of being in a new place. Fortunately, there are several tips based on consistency that may help with getting good sleep while on the road.

Practical Tips To Sleep Well During Travel

We can’t control every aspect of a hotel room or guest room, but we can do some things to make the space more comfortable. You might consider bringing a set of physical items to maintain similar conditions that you have while at home. <ul><li>Some sleep researchers have mentioned bringing your own pillow when you sleep somewhere new. </li><li> White noise machines and calming scents could also be helpful with falling asleep and staying asleep at a new place. White noise machines can mask the sound of a noisy environment, and essential oils may be used to help with sleep quality and falling asleep more easily. </li></ul>

Create A Travel Pack For Your Sleep

Maintaining similar sleep practices from at home while on the road may help with sleeping well in new places. <ul><li>Some people journal about their days, plan for the next day, and meditate before bed. Others have more simple rituals that just involves brushing their teeth and putting on night clothing. </li><li> Any behaviors that you engage in before bed should be calming. </li><li>These rituals may not be identical during travel, but having some similar bedtime routine will aid in forging consistency between your sleep environment at home and others during travel. </li></ul>

Try to maintain sleep rituals during travel. 

Identify the sleep timing (bed time and wake time) that helps you get enough sleep at home, and maintain that timing during travel. <ul><li>Travel during times that will allow you to maintain a similar sleep/wake schedule. Avoid early morning travel or red-eye flights if they would interfere with the time that you would normally be sleeping. </li><li>Most importantly, do not attempt to drive after having little to no sleep. For your safety and the safety of others, don’t drive for long time intervals without getting adequate rest. </li></ul>

Sleep at the same times as you would normally. 

It can be difficult to get good sleep while on the road. Traveling during the holidays can sometimes mean not getting enough sleep and sleeping poorly. Here are some practical tips to maintain high quality sleep during travel.

A trip away from home often means poor sleep. We’ve all been there. After having done quite a bit of traveling myself, I can attest to that fact. Traveling for conferences, visiting family, friends…

Practical Tips To Sleep Well During Travel: Forging Consistency

Should our sleep schedules and bedtime preferences impact who we select for a romantic partnership? Sleep is often involved in romantic relationships, but how important is it that couples maintain similar sleep and wake times? The importance of sleep/wake scheduling preferences, or chronotypes, likely depends on scheduling flexibility, problem-solving skills, and ultimately, time spent together with your partner.

Sleep/wake Schedules And Romantic Partnernerships

A person’s chronotype is essentially the time in which she/he prefers to be awake and active.<ul><li>Some people are more morning types and prefer to start the day during the early morning, while others are more evening types and would rather go to bed later in the night and wake later in the day. </li><li>Young adults often prefer evening activity more than morning activity, while those who are older often prefer the morning rather than the evening. But this isn’t always the case.  </li><li>Chronotypes may also be linked with how people choose romantic partners and even their satisfaction with their relationship.</li></ul>

What’s a chronotype and why does it matter?

In a word, yes, chronotypes can matter for relationships. However, the mechanisms behind chronotype similarity and relationship satisfaction are complex. <ul><li>Couples who have similar chronotypes, for example both morning types or both evening types, are more likely to be satisfied with their relationships than those who have different chronotypes (e.g., morning type and evening type).</li><li> Having different chronotypes could be beneficial in some cases like taking turns to care for a young child. While one partner sleeps at her normal hours, the other could be “on duty” to watch over their child. </li></ul>

Do Chronotypes Really Matter for Romantic Relationships?

Chronotype similarity may be influenced by time spent with a partner, and that often involves problem-solving for people who manage busy or inflexible daily schedules. <ul><li>Either schedule flexibility or effective time management skills may be most important for those couples who have mismatched sleep/wake schedules. </li><li>Romantic partners who have different chronotypes can build and maintain a successful relationship, as long as they are good at problem-solving, which would allow them to find quality time to spend together. </li></ul>

How Might Mismatched Chronotype Partners Manage Romance?

Choosing romantic partners often involves sorting through several qualities, shared hobbies, and characteristics. Maybe we should also consider sleep/wake schedules when vetting potential romantic partners. 

We often consider a defined set of criteria when vetting potential romantic partners. We evaluate their character and personality, their attractiveness, their occupation, and hobbies. Essentially…

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Personal Development

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Love & Relationships

The Romance of Sleep/Wake Schedules, The Research Life.

The ideal sleeping environment is like a cave: cool, dark, quiet. These conditions can help you fall asleep more easily and stay asleep throughout the night.

Here’s Why Your Bedroom Should Be Like A Cave

Your sleep space should not be too warm. Using a box fan or keeping the air conditioning low will cool the bedroom and help with sleep initiation.

Your Bedroom Should Be A Comfortable Temperature

Your sleep environment should be dark to help signal to the body that it is time to sleep. If there is light coming into the space, blackout curtains or an eye mask may help with dimming or eliminating unwanted light.

Minimize Light In Your Bedroom 

The bedroom should be a quiet space. Loud and startling noises may cause more awake periods during the night. White noise machines or fans can help to cover or drown out extraneous sounds.

Make Sure That Your Bedroom Is Quiet Or “Cover” The Noise

The sleep environment should only be used for sleep (and intimacy). This means that it should not be used for reading, writing, working, worrying, etc. Keeping the sleep environment a single-purpose space helps to maintain a strong association between the bed and going to sleep. In other words, when you get into bed, it should signal to your body that it is time to go to sleep.

Your Bed Should Only Be Used For Sleep (and Intimacy)

Even as a sleep researcher, I have struggled with consistently sleeping well. I would sleep through the night sometimes, but loud cars or early sunlight would often wake me up. One thing that I…

How Are Light, Social Media, and Our Sleep Related?, The Research Life.

Brighten Your Days, Improve Your Sleep, and Uplift Your Mood, The Research Life.

Sleep Problems and Pre-Sleep Arousal, The Research Life.

Practical Tips To Sleep Well During Travel: Forging Consistency

The Romance of Sleep/Wake Schedules, The Research Life.

Em H