By Elizabeth Herman┃Posted: June 10, 2019
Have you ever found that you’re losing sleep and risking your health while surfing the web? You have lots of company. Statistics show that 1 in 3 U.S. adults don’t get enough sleep, and our average amount of time spent online, 11 hours daily, isn’t helping.
Trying to sleep near devices connected to the internet is like attempting to lose weight while working in a bakery full of delicious sights and smells. I should know, since my first job was in a bakery, and nowadays I rely almost solely on YouTube for news, music, live streams, and other televised media. Even though sleep is so refreshing and necessary for positive daily functioning, the lure of technology can often feel just as strong.
Once the phone is placed screen down on my nightstand, it often takes me time to just tune out from it and fall asleep. It usually requires some low volume vocal chanting, which helps to regulate my breath, plus silent repeating of mantras in my thoughts, and a series of 15-20 slow ujjayi breaths to stop racing thoughts and tensions. Like most apartment dwellers, I have to take care not to wake the neighbors with this sleep ritual, which usually happens between 1 and 3 in the morning. Fortunately, my chanting and breathing isn’t as loud as my phone.
Turn off technology early
It may help to know that a new study shows that limiting screen time eliminates a lot of sleep problems. Screens that emit blue light should be turned off and kept off several hours before it’s time to fall asleep. Parents can help their children by enforcing these limitations, especially in evening hours. I act as my own parent, and realize that while my sleep ritual described above works wonderfully, it might work even more efficiently if I placed the phone on the other side of the room, or outside the closed door.
Not only does the light from screens make a difference, but the harmony in our relationships can also be a deciding factor in how well and how much we sleep. It’s clear to many that technology also plays a big role in our availability to our relationships. Tensions in your interactions with others may result from too much time on your phone, and can make sleep restless and exhausting. If you avoid a pressing concern of your dear ones in the evening, and instead overload yourself with digital stimulation, the next day may find you even more tired than the night before.
Risks of too little sleep
Instead of fretting about the dangers in the world outside your control, you might ask yourself what risks you’re taking in your own home? Online obsessiveness puts you at risk for long-term vision, nervous system, and emotional difficulties from which you might not recover unless you change your screen time habits.
Lack of sleep may not only result from anxiety, but it compounds the tendency to worry, making your anxiousness grow. So relieving your own anxiety can help you sleep better.
How to relax before bedtime
Use some or all of these quick tips:
Make sure the bedroom is dark, with shades drawn.
Keep the home as quiet as possible to be ready for a good night’s rest.
Reading from a printed page instead of a lighted screen will put you to sleep faster.
A cooler temperature, fresh air, and more blankets will save energy and cause you to snuggle in. Open windows in the summer and turn the heat down in the winter.
Practice yoga asanas, chanting, and relaxing breathing techniques to get ready to sleep.
Make use of yoga nidra meditation sometime during the week.
Drink warm, spiced milk or chamomile tea to relax you before bedtime.
Listen to the running water while soaking in a hot bath for a few minutes.
Relaxing your body and mind in these ways will help you set the tone for healthy rest during the night. But this list is not exhaustive. You can find many more ways to help yourself move past insomnia to a healthier life, and each person has to find the combination of ways that will fit their unique temperament.
To learn more about yoga asanas, mantra meditations, and chanting, look for an Art of Living program or a Sri Sri Yoga course near you! Happy sleeping for a healthier life!
This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
By Elizabeth Herman - PhD in English, with concentrations in Rhetoric and Composition, and Literature, she offers writing support to clients, teaches locally, lives in Boone, NC, and volunteers for a better world.
