Electronic sleep interference

Using an electronic device before bed may make it more difficult to fall or stay asleep, new research finds.

Scientists from the Mayo Clinic have found that holding a smart phone or tablet on its brightest visual setting close to the face disrupts the body’s production of melatonin, a hormone released by the brain when lighting is low, according to SFGate.com. However, users who switched their device to a medium or low brightness setting and held it at least 14 inches away from their face did not have trouble getting to sleep.

A separate study published in the journal Applied Ergonomics found that people who spent two hours in a dark room before a fully lit screen had melatonin levels 23 percent lower than those who viewed the tablet through goggles designed to filter out melatonin-suppressing light.