Technology linked with Insomnia?

Insomnia has become a more prominent problem in society in recent years, and many say technology is to blame. More specifically, interactive technology like your smartphones or laptop. The National Sleep Foundation’s annual sleep survey found 95 percent of Americans go to sleep with their technology, and this has been proven to lead to insomnia and reduce overall sleep. Around 41 million people in the U.S. get six or less hours of sleep every night, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, largely because of how embedded technology has become in our daily routines. These devices stimulate our brains right before we need to shut them off for sleep. The artificial lights for things like laptop and smartphone screens promote brain chemicals like melatonin. When melatonin levels are altered, we experience sleep disturbances.

The rising rate of Insomnia is dangerous for society because it means younger people are getting less sleep and losing productivity in their day to day lives. The level of efficiency is dropped tremendously when a person gets fewer than 6 hours of sleep today. Students are mostly effected, and it can ultimately affect their performance in school. The only way to solve this problem is limit the use of technology before bed and have all electronic devices turned off while we sleep. In order to get more sleep, we must eliminate all the distractions available to us. The internet is a huge one, and the amount of interaction available online is enormous, and it is a huge distraction.

It is no surprise that the rate of Insomnia has risen in the past few years, as it directly correlates with the rise of technology. People are getting less and less sleep, and it is becoming a problem in society. Throughout this blog we have looked at all the negative effects of technology on our lives, but never has their been one so direct as this. Although smartphones and laptops may offer us possibilities we never thought of before, it still dramatically affects our lives for the worse.