Trouble sleeping? Maybe it's your iPad or Other Light Producing Gadgets

[RamboLiberal]

J.D. Moyer decided recently to conduct a little experiment with artificial light and his sleep cycle.

The sleep-deprived Oakland, California, resident had read that strong light -- whether it's beaming down from the sun or up from the screens of personal electronics -- can reset a person's internal sleep clock.

So, for one month, whenever the sun set, he turned off all the gadgets and lights in his house -- from the bulb hidden in his refrigerator to his laptop computer.

It worked. Instead of falling asleep at midnight, Moyer's head was hitting the pillow as early as 9 p.m. He felt so well-rested during the test, he said, that friends remarked on his unexpected morning perkiness.

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More than ever, consumer electronics -- particularly laptops, smartphones and Apple's new iPad -- are shining bright light into our eyes until just moments before we doze off.

Now there's growing concern that these glowing gadgets may actually fool our brains into thinking it's daytime. Exposure can disturb sleep patterns and exacerbate insomnia, some sleep researchers said in interviews.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/05/13/sleep.gadgets.ipad/index.html?hpt=T2

[SheilaT]

1. Yep. And this has been known

about for some time now.

I keep on thinking I'd like to live without artificial light, but at the moment I'm unable to rearrange my life that way.

[Igel]

8. My wife went on a "avoid artificial light" binge after dark.

It was danged irritating. Men and women actually see a bit differently. Not all. But most.

She was perfectly fine under the new regime. I kept tripping and had trouble seeing things. The "new regime" involved red lights. Red is a color added late to our repertory, it seems. Red light doesn't cause the brain to think, "Aha! The sun's up!"

Red film used in layout work in graphic design over the tv screen. Red bulbs in the lamps. Anything that might produce--gasp!--shorter wavelengths was off or covered. A few second's exposure to white light and it can take the eyes up to 40 minutes or so to get adjusted to the "dark" again.

After a month I got her astro goggles. They're red and fit over the face. They're for astronomers whose eyes are adjusted to the dark and have to go where there's white light.

She finally gave up. I think the goggles were just too much hassle.

[Warpy]

2. I spent 20 years sleeping in strong light

because I worked nights all that time.

For five years after I quit, I tried to reset my body clock so I could sleep when it's dark and arise with the sun. It was a spectacular failure.

Now I stay up until 2 AM and sleep until 10 AM and I do fine.

The sun blasting in my window after sunrise doesn't seem to bother me in the least. In fact, that's when I get my best sleep.

[kimmylavin]

5. Me too!

I actually love sleeping during the day, because nighttime is my most productive time.
And day sleeping is so nice and drowsy...

I've been lucky enough to have evening or night jobs for the past few years, but I'm dreading the assignment when they want me there at 8 AM. :)

[ladywnch]

6. I've often wondered if time of birth has anything to do with whether

we are 'morning' people or 'night owls'. It would make sense since a person's body clock would be triggered at birth.

Does anyone know of any studies relating to this? I'm just curious.

[nickinSTL]

3. interesting.

If I had trouble sleeping, I might do something about my artificial lighting.

As it is, though...I sleep quite well despite my addiction to teh interwebs.

[DesertFlower]

4. i have a "roll a shield" on my bedroom window.

keeps my room almost dark. i have chronic fatigue syndrome and i'm very "light sensitive". about 20 years ago i moved my clock from my end table to my dresser across the room.

we moved to arizona more than 20 years ago, but my husband is still on new york time. he wakes up at
4 am. when he visits family in new york he sleeps till 7 am.

[DavidDvorkin]

7. The bulb inside his refrigerator

which is off when the door is closed and which presumably is in his kitchen was keeping him awake?

Sure it was.

He was convinced that turning everything off would help him sleep. He turned everything off and, thus reassured, slept better. Scientific proof! Woo hoo! Rather, woo woo.