Good News: Your Gadgets Aren’t Destroying Your Beauty Sleep

Over time, more and more research has proven the age old notion of beauty sleep. We know that a good night’s rest is one of the best paths to  smooth skin, wrinkle reduction, and even weight management, but what about those other studies, the ones warning that quality of your sleep is being eroded by your favorite possession?

Smart phones bad for sleep?

We watch 3 back-to-back episodes of Game of Thrones before bed, then check our Twitter feed, post a selfie to Instagram, let Facebook know how exhausted we are, and browse a few Reddit threads. Then we turn out the light and do it all over again.

So, when studies started to suggest that our time in front of the screen was contributing to our collective sleep-deprivation, it was an easy hypothesis to swallow. While many folks have discovered a slew of new gadgets dedicated to enabling such over-indulgence without the health risks (from eyewear to screen covers, they’re out there if you look) others have begun to question the veracity of these attacks against our gadgets.

What they found

A recent survey conducted by the research group KJT aimed to discover the most common causes of sleep disturbance on a global scale. The group interviewed nearly 8,000 people in 10 countries, asking them questions about their day-to-day routines, where they sleep, what time they go to sleep, when they wake up, and their daily work vs. play ratio. Taking all these factors into consideration, researchers aimed to discover what was preventing people from achieving their best possible sleep.

We know sleep is important, but…

90 percent of people surveyed said sleep was important to them, and of the 12 life factors the survey took into consideration, sleep showed itself to have the most significant impact on overall well-being. This might include energy, weight, healthy skin, and more!

The runners up? Money and financial security. Two factors that 28 percent of individuals also blamed for sleep disruption. On top of which, 25 percent claimed work stress was keeping them up at night.

Don’t let your phone off the hook just yet

Despite the fact that technology didn’t top the guilty list for sleep disrupters, researchers wanted to stress that time slept and the quality of the sleep are both being impacted by smart tech. The survey reinforced the fact that well over half of us sleep with our phones closeby. And 21 percent of people interviewed confessed that technology negatively impacted their sleep.

Remembering to provide a much needed tech-free zone in the bedroom and directly before bed will help ensure that your rest is still providing maximum beauty benefits, but what may be more important is that you use your technology to help decompress from work and clear your mind of any financial obligations and stressors before you attempt shut eye. Maybe a quick game of Candy Crush or Robot Unicorn Attack could help?