Really? Using a Computer Before Bed Can Disrupt Sleep

By ANAHAD O'CONNOR

THE FACTS

REALLY?

Anahad O’Connor tackles health myths.

In today’s gadget-obsessed world, sleep experts often say that for a better night’s rest, Americans should click the “off” buttons on their smartphones and tablets before tucking in for the night. Electronic devices stimulate brain activity, they say, disrupting your ability to drift off to sleep. But according to the National Sleep Foundation, more than 90 percent of Americans regularly use a computer or electronic device of some kind in the hour before bed.

Increasingly, researchers are finding that artificial light from some devices at night may tinker with brain chemicals that promote sleep. Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute showed that exposure to light from computer tablets significantly lowered levels of the hormone melatonin, which regulates our internal clocks and plays a role in the sleep cycle.

In the study, published in the journal Applied Ergonomics, the researchers had volunteers read, play games and watch movies on an iPad, iPad 2 or PC tablet for various amounts of time while measuring the amount of light their eyes received. They found that two hours of exposure to a bright tablet screen at night reduced melatonin levels by about 22 percent.

Studies of college students using computers at night have suggested similar effects on melatonin. And researchers say melatonin suppression may not only cause sleep disturbances, but also raise the risk of obesity, diabetesand other disorders.

To be on the safe side, the authors of the latest study suggest limiting computer use before bed, or at the very least dimming your screen as much as possible.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Artificial light from computer screens at night may reduce melatonin levels.

A version of this article appeared in print on 09/11/2012, on page D5 of the NewYork edition with the headline: Really? The Claim: Using a computer before bed can disrupt sleep

Does your diet influence how well you sleep?

By Alexandra Sifferlin, TIME.com

(TIME.com) -- Poor sleeping habits can lead to overeating, but can unhealthy diets keep you up at night?

Getting enough sleep and eating right are well-known behaviors for good health. Keeping a balanced diet is one of the best ways to maintain a healthy weight, and those who get seven to eight hours of sleep per night tend to have better health overall.

Previous studies have linked a lack of sleep to overeating, but less is known about how diet influences sleep patterns.

A group of researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania investigated how diets correlated with sleep patterns.

The researchers studied data from the 2007-2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) involving 4,548 people. They looked at how much sleep the participants reported getting each night, as well as a very detailed report of their daily diet.

For the study, very short sleep patterns were defined as less than five hours a night, short sleep was five to six hours a night, standard sleep was seven to eight hours, and long sleep was nine or more hours a night.

TIME.com: Why sleep deprivation may lead to overeating

It turns out that people in the different sleep categories also had distinct diet patterns. Short sleepers consumed the most calories, followed by normal sleepers, then very short sleepers. Long sleepers consumed the least calories.

Normal sleepers, however, showed the highest food variety in their diets, and very short sleepers had the least variation in what they ate. A varied diet tends to be a marker for good health since it includes multiple sources of nutrients.

Very short sleepers drank less tap water and consumed fewer total carbohydrates and lycopene, found in red and orange-colored fruits and vegetables and high in cancer-fighting antioxidants, than people with other sleep patterns.

Short sleepers tended to eat less vitamin C, tap water and selenium (found in nuts, meat and shellfish) consumption, but more lutein or zeaxanthin, which are found in green, leafy veggies. Long sleep was associated with consuming less theobromine, which is found in chocolate and tea, the saturated fat dodecanoic acid, choline found in eggs and fatty meats and total carbohydrates. Long sleepers also drank more alcohol.

TIME.com: Losing sleep leads to gains in weight

What do all the correlations mean? As one of the first studies to look into the role that diet plays on sleep quality, the findings are more hypothesis-generating than confirming.

"It was like, 'No one has ever entered this country before, let's go in and take some pictures,'" says study author Michael Grandner, an instructor in psychiatry and member of the Center for Sleep and Circadian Neurobiology at Penn.

Many studies have looked at how sleep influences eating habits. Research suggests sleep deprivation interferes with hunger and satiety hormones crucial to regulating appetite. But the study authors suggest that the relationship works both ways, and that diet can alter sleep as well.

Some of the interactions are well known already, such as how drinking too much water and interrupt sleep by waking you up to use the bathroom, or how consuming heavy and spicy foods can keep you up, but there may be less apparent effects as well.

"For example, iron deficiencies have been linked to restless leg syndrome in some cases. There may be certain substances that work on the molecular level to regulate some of the biological machinery of sleep, but there hasn't been a lot done to tease that apart, and this study may be one of the first to help point us in the right direction of where to look," says Grandner.

TIME.com: Is social jet lag making you fat?

Further work may may clarify whether the relationship is as complicated as short sleep disrupting the body's ability to process calories, or as simple as people who report very short sleep also under reporting the amount they eat.

Still, there is the potential that scientists could one day determine the right mix of calories and nutrients to promote better sleep, which could become a low-cost strategy to curb obesity and heart disease.

"It reminds people that we have come to the point in our society where we recognize that our diet is important to our health. We don't always act on it, but we recognize it," says Grandner.

"We haven't come there with sleep yet. People don't brag about how much they eat anymore -- we used to, but we don't anymore, but we still show off about how little sleep we get."

The study is published in the journal Appetite.

This story was originally published on TIME.com.

Tips for Hot Sleepers

Do you sleep hot and not understand why? Are you playing the “covers on/covers off” game all night long?  

Sometimes it’s hormones wreaking havoc, such as in menopause or thyroid dysfunction. Other times it’s directly related to a combination of factors that, with a bit of consideration, can be corrected.

A liter of moisture (on average) emits from our bodies during sleep through breathing and through skin. When this moisture leaves the body, it needs to be absorbed by the immediate environment. The more easily it can be absorbed and drawn away from the body, the more even the temperature regulation remains, and the deeper and more comfortable your sleep will be.

However, if the heat and moisture is reflected back to your body due to use of waterproof or synthetic materials, it creates a feedback loop.  Eventually, you’re going to be covered in sweat.

No matter why you’re having temperature regulation problems, there are things you can do to either eliminate this issue, or reduce it greatly.

#1: Room Temperature:

Sleep scientists have studied this, proving that keeping your bedroom on the cooler side (between 62-72 degrees) will help lower the body temperature and induce sleep.  

#2:  Sheets and Blankets:

Always use cotton or linen sheets. Polyester, rayon, acrylic, and nylon blends are treated with chemicals during manufacturing and trap heat and moisture. Cotton is breathable, and doesn’t reflect that heat/moisture back onto the sleeper.

Wool comforters and blankets are incredibly efficient at keeping a sleeper at an even, healthy temperature, due to the nature of wool fibers. They’re hollow, so moisture is siphoned away from the body and evaporated very quickly into the atmosphere.

Conversely, if there are issues with sleeping too cold, the wool fibers hold air to keep the sleeper at a comfortable, toasty temperature.

Things to think about:

Don’t be fooled by Bamboo sheets. Bamboo sheets are actually a very high percentage rayon, and as such can trap heat and moisture.

Anything you put on your bed that’s waterpoof,  or even water resistant, is going to trap moisture.

You know what’s highly water resistant? Down. It may feel and look luxurious, but for the sleeper with heat issues it’s a definite offender.

Most conventional mattresses have covers (ticking) made with polyester or rayon, so a great number people will be starting off at a deficit.

#3 Pajamas:

Again, cotton, linen and wool are your best bets to stay dry, comfortable, and asleep.

#4:  Food and Drink:

High fat content foods can raise blood pressure, and the body responds by perspiring to level things back out.

For many people overeating, and overindulgence in alcohol can cause problems.

Some sensitive people should avoid meals or alcohol even in small portions for 3 hours prior to bedtime.

These tips are an excellent place to begin in your search to end the cycle. A little extra attention to them can drastically reduce (and sometimes even eliminate) the number of nights you wake up drenched in perspiration.