Welcome to Running: A FEVER. This is a show about fitness, diet, and medicine. I’m Michael Davis, and my goal is to live a long, healthy, happy, active life right up to the very end. Livin’ long, and lovin’ life.

This series, “Screentime and Your Health,” highlights the health risks of overusing electronic devices. I think I was previously unaware of the dangers involved. But I’m starting to get the picture. In the last episode, we discussed how excessive screen time can hinder our ability to lead an active life by making us more sedentary and decreasing our motivation to be physically active.

This is part two of the series, focusing on the topic of “Screens vs. Sleep.”

We often discuss sleep on the show, emphasizing its importance to both our mental and physical health, particularly in terms of having a sufficient quantity and quality of sleep. Before we delve into the drawbacks, I’d like to explore the benefits and importance of sleep a bit further. I also recommend you check out episode 179 of the show, “5 Reasons You Need More Sleep.”

First, the cognitive and mental health benefits:

Sleep boosts mood and emotional regulation. It helps stabilize your mood and regulate emotions, making you less irritable and better able to cope with stress. It also enhances memory and learning. While you sleep, your brain consolidates and organizes memories from the day. Different sleep stages play specific roles in strengthening both declarative memory (facts) and procedural memory (skills), improving recall and learning.

Sleep supports cognitive function and creativity. Sleep is vital for brain plasticity, enhancing your ability to focus, solve problems, and think creatively. A well-rested brain can process information more efficiently and make better decisions. It also lowers the risk of mental health issues. Sleep disturbances are both a symptom and a risk factor for mental health disorders like depression and anxiety. Prioritizing sleep can help reduce this risk and aid in managing existing conditions.

Finally, sleep clears brain toxins. During deep sleep, the brain’s glymphatic system clears out waste products and potentially harmful proteins, such as beta-amyloid, which is associated with Alzheimer’s disease.

There are also benefits to physical health:

Studies show that adequate sleep increases your ability to fight off infections and can even make vaccinations more effective, strengthening your immune system. During sleep, your body releases protective cytokines, which help fight infections and inflammation. It supports heart health because your blood pressure and heart rate naturally decrease, giving your cardiovascular system a break. Chronic sleep deficiency is linked to an increased risk of high blood pressure, heart attack, and stroke.

Sleep also aids in weight management. It helps regulate the hunger hormones ghrelin and leptin. Lack of sleep can increase appetite and cravings for high-calorie foods, while sufficient sleep can help moderate your intake. It also promotes tissue repair and muscle growth. Deep sleep triggers the body to release growth hormone, which is crucial for building muscle, repairing cells and tissues, and aiding the body’s recovery from the stress of the day.

Sleep can also reduce the risk of chronic disease. Getting enough quality sleep is associated with a lower risk of developing serious long-term health problems, including type 2 diabetes and obesity.

Sleep is essential. How is screen time connected to our ability to get adequate time and its quality?

Perhaps you’ve heard about blue light, and you may have been advised to avoid it. Perhaps you know someone who uses blue-blocking glasses in the hopes of getting better sleep after using screens at night. First, what is blue light?

Blue light is a short-wavelength, high-energy part of the visible light spectrum that comes from the sun and is also emitted by digital screens, smartphones, and LED lighting (hmm, have any LED lights in your home?). The largest source of blue light is the sun. When it comes from this natural source, it can be beneficial by regulating sleep-wake cycles, synchronizing your body’s circadian rhythm, and enhancing alertness and mood, thereby improving focus and cognitive function. Therefore, we shouldn’t avoid blue light altogether.

But it has its detriments as well. Blue light disrupts your natural sleep-wake cycle, known as the circadian rhythm, by suppressing the production of the hormone melatonin. Melatonin is crucial because it signals to your body that it’s time to feel tired and prepare for sleep.

How does this work? Well, in addition to the rods and cones that are responsible for regular vision, your eyes contain a third type of light-sensitive cell in the retina called intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells, or ipRGCs. These cells contain a light-sensitive protein called melanopsin, which is most sensitive to blue light, particularly at wavelengths around 480 nanometers. When blue light stimulates the melanopsin in ipRGC cells, they send signals to the brain’s “master clock,” called the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). If you’re getting vocabulary overload here, fear not; it’s affecting me, too. Remember, you can always read the blog at http://RunningAFEVER.com/433, which contains all this so that you can absorb it at your own pace.

Anyway, THEN, the SCN sends a message to the pineal (PYE-nee-all) gland, which is responsible for producing melatonin, to suppress its release. This causes you to feel more awake and alert, even at night.

Why is blue light so disruptive at night? For one thing, it mimics natural daylight. Your body uses blue light from the sun during the day as a signal to stay awake and alert. Exposure to artificial blue light at night effectively tricks your brain into thinking it’s still daytime, which shifts your internal clock later.

Also, it’s more potent than other light. Research by Harvard University has shown that blue light suppresses melatonin for approximately twice as long as green light. This highlights its powerful effect on your circadian rhythm.

There is a high concentration in electronics. Many modern light sources, including LED screens on phones, computers, and tablets, emit a large amount of blue light. This is a significant factor contributing to the rise in sleep problems.

What are the consequences of melatonin suppression?

1. Delayed sleep. You may find it difficult to fall asleep at your intended bedtime because your body doesn’t receive the “sleep” signal from melatonin.

2. Poor sleep quality. Melatonin suppression can reduce the amount of time you spend in deep, restorative sleep.

3. Impaired alertness. The delayed circadian rhythm can lead to daytime drowsiness, making it harder to wake up and feel alert the next day.

4. There are long-term health risks. Chronic disruption of the circadian rhythm is linked to a higher risk of various health problems, including type 2 diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular issues.

You can see from all this how vital melatonin is, and how blue light from artificial sources impairs its ability to perform this important job, thereby depriving us of the benefits of a healthy sleep routine.

Let’s discuss the impact of sleep deprivation on mood, memory, and cardiovascular health. This deprivation can significantly impair these important functions through its effects on brain function and essential restorative processes. A single night of poor sleep can alter emotional responses, while chronic sleep loss carries a higher risk for long-term health problems.

–The impact on mood includes increased negative emotions. Sleep-deprived individuals often report feeling more irritable, stressed, angry, and sad. This heightened emotional reactivity is associated with overactivity in the amygdala, the brain region responsible for processing negative emotions. Another impact on mood is reduced emotional resilience. When you’re sleep-deprived, even minor daily annoyances can feel overwhelming, reducing your ability to cope with stress. This happens partly because insufficient sleep interferes with the deep, restorative sleep necessary for emotional regulation. And there are mood disorders caused by sleep deprivation. A lack of sleep is strongly associated with an increased risk of developing these disorders, such as depression and anxiety. Insomnia, in particular, is both a symptom and a predictor of these conditions.

–The impact of sleep deprivation on memory includes impaired encoding and consolidation. Sleep is essential for creating and strengthening memories. During sleep, your brain rehearses and integrates new information. Sleep deprivation disrupts this process, making it difficult to form new memories and leading to difficulties with both short-term and long-term recall. Another impact on memory is damage to the hippocampus. Brain imaging studies have shown that sleep deprivation can reduce activity in the hippocampus, a brain area crucial for learning and memory formation. In severe cases, chronic sleep loss can contribute to neurological damage in the region. Sleep loss impairs your ability to focus, react, and solve problems, which in turn hurts your overall memory and cognitive performance. This leads to slower reaction times and more mistakes on tasks that require attention. And because of the interruption in clearing out the toxin beta-amyloid, which again is linked to Alzheimer’s, insufficient sleep potentially increases the risk of memory disorders later in life.

The impact of sleep deprivation on cardiovascular health includes the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke due to the extra strain on your heart and blood vessels that comes with being awake. Chronic sleep loss increases stress hormones, such as cortisol. The body’s immune system also releases inflammatory markers, which are both contributors to cardiovascular disease. Multiple studies show that habitually sleeping less than six hours per night is associated with a higher incidence of heart attacks and strokes. Insufficient sleep can cause an irregular heartbeat, especially for individuals with pre-existing heart conditions. For example, a single night of poor sleep can increase the risk of an atrial fibrillation (A-Fib) episode. Some hormones control appetite and metabolism. And sleep deprivation can disrupt their functions, leading, of course, to potential obesity, which can lead to heart disease.

To summarize what we’ve covered so far, blue light from artificial sources, such as screens, can disrupt sleep by affecting the circadian rhythm, leading to reduced sleep and subsequently, the adverse effects of sleeplessness. This can literally kill you. So by now, you may be in despair. Is there any solution for this? We live in a digital world, and it is almost impossible to avoid altogether. But I do have some tips for better sleep hygiene in this world.

Some of this will be repetitive, as it all relates to what we’re after in this series: ways to better manage technology for improved help.

First, create a digital curfew. Establish an “off-limits” time. Designate a consistent time each night to shut down all non-essential electronics. Experts recommend stopping screen time at least one hour before bed, ideally two to three hours. I sometimes fill this time with reading physical paper books to entertain and educate myself without the use of electronics. You can also use app timers. Many phones and smart devices have built-in features that allow you to set time limits for specific apps. Use these tools to block distracting apps when your digital curfew begins automatically. Some of them, which I found in the Google Play Store, include the “Time Timer App” and “MultiTimer.” Android has this function natively in the Wellbeing and Parental Controls settings, and I’m sure other smartphone systems have a similar feature.

Second, make your bedroom a screen-free sanctuary. Charge devices elsewhere. Keep devices like your phone, tablet, and laptop out of the bedroom overnight by setting up a charging station in another room. This removes the temptation to scroll if you wake up during the night. You can use a traditional alarm clock. Relying on your phone as an alarm clock is a significant reason people keep it close to their bed. Investing in a basic alarm clock is a simple and effective way to keep your phone out of the bedroom. Y0u can cover up screens. If you must keep a device in your room, cover or remove any electronic screens with bright displays, such as clocks or smart TVs, to minimize distractions. The slightest bit of light can disrupt your sleep.

Third Tip: Optimize Your Tech Settings and Accessories. Activate “Night Mode,” “Night Shift,” or blue light filter setting. Activating this in the evening shifts the screen to warmer, more orange and yellow tones, which are less disruptive to melatonin production. You can wear blue light-blocking glasses. Orange-tinted “blue-blocker” glasses are specifically designed to filter out blue light before it reaches your eyes. This can be particularly useful for individuals who need to use a screen late at night. Also, turn down the brightness. Lowering your screen’s brightness to the lowest comfortable setting can help minimize its stimulating effect on your brain.

Fourth Tip: Use technology to your advantage. Use audio, not video. If you want to unwind with a podcast or audiobook, use your device’s audio playback and turn the screen off. Many sleep-centric apps offer meditations, soundscapes, or bedtime stories designed to promote sleep without relying on a stimulating screen. Consider a smart lighting system. Smart bulbs can be programmed to fade gradually in the evening, mimicking a sunset to help your body prepare for sleep. In the morning, they can simulate a gentle sunrise to ease you awake. You can also try a white noise machine. For some people, a source of steady, consistent sound can help mask disruptive noises and provide a soothing backdrop for sleep. A while noise machine offers this benefit without the added temptations of a smartphone screen.

Well, I’ve tried to end on a positive note, with some solutions to the problem of electronic screens, especially blue light, interrupting sleep. I want you to know I’m learning a lot from this series, as I always do from each episode I share with you. I hope you found it beneficial as well. There is a lot of information here, and even more in my references. You can review all this information in text form by visiting the blog page directly at http://RunningAFEVER.com/433.

Next time, we’ll dig into the mental effects of excessive screen time, in an episode called “Digital Fog: What Screens Do to Your Brain.” Until then, if you’ve got the fever, keep it burning, and if you don’t, catch the fever, and I’ll see you next time on Running: A FEVER.

References:
https://tinyurl.com/raf-blue-light
https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/blue-light-has-a-dark-side