If you've ever had trouble falling asleep after using an iPad tablet, a laptop or a PC, then there is a possibility that these devices may have affected your sleep. Researchers at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) I say that the light emitted by the back-lit screens of this kind of devices generates a decrease in the release of a chemical product called melatonin in the body. Our body releases this chemical compound to induce sleep, but the screens of iPad tablets, laptops/PCs or televisions inhibit the release of melatonin and back-lit screens seem to be the problem.
The bright light emitted by an iPad could give some people reading before bedtime a bout of insomnia, researchers suggest. This is because the iPad uses a back-lit display rather than the "e-paper" found in other popular e-readers such as the Kindle that mimics the printed, duller page by reflecting light from elsewhere. "If you're using a Kindle — which doesn't use a significant light source — that may potentially have less of an impact compared to a device like a laptop or an iPad with more significant light exposure," said Alon Avidan, a neurologist and associate director of the Sleep Disorders Center at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
Normally, the human body releases melatonin at nightfall and induces a sleepy state, but the presence of artificial light upsets the way our body works. Since the artificial light of so many electronic products influences us, you are probably wondering why the iPad tablet is brought to the fore. Well, researchers say that this product is held closest to our eyes and is the most "dangerous" for a peaceful sleep, so theoretically you should be careful how you use such a device before going to bed to ensure that you will fall asleep smoothly.
Sleep researchers have long known that light inhibits the release of melatonin, a hormone that settles the body into sleep mode towards evening time. "Melatonin is pro-sleep," said Frisca Yan-Go, director of the UCLA Sleep Disorders Center. Any artificial light source at night, whether it be from a television or a bedside lamp, can mess with the body's melatonin production, Yan-Go said, which rises when darkness falls, then tapers off toward morning as part of a natural cycle called the Circadian rhythm.
According to Yan-Go and other sleep researchers, the reason for concern with the iPad over other forms of late-night light is that readers hold the device relatively close to their face. In theory, this could mean that the iPad affects the body's melatonin cycle more than watching late-night reruns on a television that is clear across the room, Yan-Go said.
