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Essay / How Computer and Cell Phone Use Affect Sleep - 829
When I'm on the phone at night, my mom usually tells me to do something "productive." Even if I say I finished all my homework, she will order me to read a book instead of using my phone or computer. Then she'll talk about how she never had an iPhone or laptop growing up and how she found other ways to entertain herself, but I save myself the usual boredom and do what I she commands. However, I realized that reading a real book at night made me fall asleep much faster than playing on my cell phone at night. I'll read my favorite book, The Outsiders, and I'll only be able to keep my eyes open for thirty minutes or less, and then the book will fall out of my hands as I doze off in sleepland or coo myself to sleep like a fool. owl. . Then, on the evenings when I'm not reading, I play on my phone, check Instagram, and watch Netflix on my computer. On those nights, I fall asleep much later than the nights I read. So I wasn't really sure if my sleepiness was due to book boredom, the lighting in my room, or the bright lighting from my phone. I decided to learn more about the negative effects of using a computer and cell phone before bed. Research shows that cell phone use before bed is bad for sleep. The article: Really? Using a computer before bed can disrupt sleep, Anahad O'Connor says "electronic devices stimulate brain activity, disrupting your ability to fall asleep." More than 90% of Americans regularly use a computer or electronic device in the hour before bed. “The problem is that computers and cell phones emit “blue light” from the screen which can be harmful to your eyesight and especially to your sleep. As a teenager, from my own observations using electronics before...... middle of paper ...... negative symptoms such as memory deficit. Limits should be placed on cell phone use within two hours before bedtime, or the color of screen light should be adjusted. However, at present, most cell phone manufacturers do not include an option to change screen color emissions, so blue light still presents a problem.Works CitedEng, Monica. “Insomnia on iPad: loss of sleep linked to blue light from screens used at night.” Chicago Tribune. Np, July 8, 2012. Web. April 16, 2014.MBA, Maureen Healy MA. “Adolescence / Blog.” PBS. PBS and Web. April 16, 2014. “New releases.” Blue light has a dark side. Np, May 2012. Web. April 16, 2014. Nordqvist, Joseph. “What is rapid eye movement?” » Medical news today. MediLexicon International, July 17, 2012. Web. April 16, 2014. O'Connor, Anahad. "Really? Using a computer before bed can disrupt sleep." The New York Times. Np, September 10, 2012. Web. April 16. 2014.