Even if you stay far away from high-tech gadgets and futuristic smartphones, your world is affected by technology, and this is evolving day by day. Therefore, it won’t be a spoiler when we say that technology impacts your sleep quality as well.
Nevertheless, unlike what many of us believe, it isn’t a one-way street. We do not want to preach about how technology and gadgets have infiltrated our lives and disturb our sleep patterns. Instead, we want to take a more analytical take on how technology impacts sleep quality.
So, before we talk further, let’s have a quick look at what is sleep quality.
What Is Sleep Quality?
Sleep Quality is an objective metric to understand how well you sleep. This doesn’t always correlate with the amount of time you spend sleeping. That is, you can have poor sleep quality even after sleeping for the recommended amount of time, say 6 to 8 hours a day. A lot of sub-metrics come into play while determining the quality of one’s sleep. Some of them are:
- The amount of sleep you get on average
- The time you take to fall asleep once you’re on the bed
- The number of times you wake up during the night
- Other interruptions you face amidst the sleep cycle
- Your sync with the natural sleeping rhythm
An ideal combination of all these factors means your sleeping patterns are of good quality. As you may know, good quality sleep can help you stay healthy, both mentally and physically. But most people forget that this is an interconnected affair.
It means that deprived physical and mental health can impact the quality of sleep as well.
There is a reason why experts recommend a lifestyle that gives you quality sleep. You can even go for a sleep pattern that helps you handle hectic work schedules. But here’s the question: how do you ensure the right amount of sleep at this age?
Technology Exposure and Sleep Quality
Let us warn you beforehand: technology and the over-exposure to the same is a double-edged sword. While you may have your own reasons why you use too much technology, that does not discount you from all the health issues that the exposure mentioned above may cause. Now, to get the basics, let’s have a look at how technology could affect sleep quality.
Most of us have our smartphone devices linked to our day-to-day life. It has become impossible for the majority of living without checking their smartphones multiple times a day. The problem is that a single notification or phone call can destroy the quality of sleep. If you are someone who uses your phone before falling asleep, you’d be able to relate to this point.
There are also health impacts that can stress you out in the long run. An uncontrolled level of exposure to a variety of tech platforms can impact aspects like mental health, eyesight, and self-esteem. The third issue is more probable if you are addicted to social media platforms, where comparison becomes a threat that can impact your sleep quality.
Besides, the sedentary lifestyle can also damage your health. If you work in a tech-related field, you may be spending almost all your day sitting or lying somewhere, right? This creates health implications that severely affect the sleep quality you can achieve.
Well, this, folks, is just half of the story.
Technology for Good Sleep?
This is something conservatists who critique technological inventions mostly forget. The impact technology indeed has on our lives is pretty huge. Nevertheless, there is another side of the story where technology can help people in falling asleep better, gaining better sleep quality, and improving your mental/physical issues, promptly.
Now, let’s have a look at a few areas where technology positively impacts sleep quality.
Sleep Tracking
In the past years, sleep tracking has become incredibly effective that you need not guess the quality of sleep you get. Instead, a variety of devices like your smartphone, fitness tracker, and dedicated sleep trackers can help you track and analyze your quality of sleep. Such tools will study your movements, sounds, and many other aspects while you sleep. They don’t miss even the slightest changes.
It’s no less than amazing that you can have all these features in a simple fitness band. Most of these gadgets have apps that can recommend the right time to fall asleep and wake up gradually. For someone who wants to create successful sleep habits, these gadgets and AI-based apps offer an insane level of control and features.
The same fitness bands can also remind you to take a break from sitting for too much time. These are options you could never have in the non-tech age.
Inducing Sleep
Falling asleep is the first step in dealing with sleep quality. Fortunately, technology has options that can help you fall asleep better as well. Let’s start with something basic, like headphones for a better sleep experience. These headphones are made for comfort and noise cancellation while sleeping. So, even if you live in a noisy environment, you can fall asleep without any trouble.
Of course, you can try a variety of other gadgets that assist you in falling asleep and staying asleep. You can, for instance, go for suitable smart lighting for your bedroom. These lights can adjust the light intensity as per the circadian rhythm. Actively following circadian rhythm would help you to create sleeping habits that last and get over jetlag-related issues as well.
If we step down to the less advanced side of technology, you can make use of essential oil diffusers and the variety of bedding material that enables deep sleep. Memory foam itself has made things impressive for the most part. You can also get your hands on the assistive tech that allows you to adjust various metrics such as temperature and humidity.
In short, creating a better environment has become comfortable with the help of technology.
We should also appreciate the exceptional effort of research work that was possible only due to research. It is the same research that tells you the right food to eat and the right amount of exercise to follow for a good night’s sleep. Even companies like Google and Apple have started prioritizing sleep, and we can find so many options on Android and iOS alike.
The Final Takeaway
This is not an attempt to say that technology hasn’t affected our sleep. On the contrary, our statement deals with the dual nature of the same technology. It has helped you regain so much sleep — often more than it has made you lose.
Just think about this: even before the first commercial gadgets were invented, people used to suffer from a variety of sleep issues, disorders, and deteriorating sleep quality. Sure, the numbers had seen a rise following the popularity of technology. But technology did solve more problems than it had caused.
As people who want productivity on top of everything, you should have the discretion to choose. You get to decide how technology impacts your life — by getting addicted to the digital world or by creating a healthy balance between the good and the bad.
So, what do you think you’d go for?
Richard Morse is the content strategist and owner at InsideBedroom.com. He has been in the mattress industry for more over than 7 years. If anyone wants a recommendation for the best mattress, he is the one person one can rely on. Besides, the love for mattress sales, he is very fond of cooking and likes engaging with like-minded people.
Sleeping phone stock image by VGstockstudio/Shutterstock
