Smartphones and tablets need 'bedtime mode' to improve children's sleep

Phones, tablets and e-readers currently cause sleep disruptions, and need to shift to 'bed' mode at night, says children's sleep medicine expert. More devices like the iPhone, iPad and Kindle emit a blue light that causes our sleep to be restless and disrupted, according to a new study.

Led by Dr Paul Gringras at the Department of Children’s Sleep Medicine, the study found that manufacturers have started making bigger, brighter, bluer screens in an effort to increase the efficiency of our screens during daytime. As an unwanted byproduct, this light is affecting our sleep and productivity.

The study, reported first by the BBC, said that this type of light is likely to cause the most disruption to sleep, as it most effectively suppresses melatonin, a hormone that reminds us to sleep every night; the light also increases alertness. In fact, using our devices before bedtime could even affect our performance during the day, because exposure to this blue light changes our body's natural rhythms.

"The development of light-emitting devices means that for many people, a 'book at bedtime' is now often an 'e-book,'" the paper pointed out. Reading a traditional paper book by the light of your bedside lamp doesn't affect your sleep, because bulbs emit a yellow-red light. "In comparison, the same book read in electronic format will provide a very different light signal with biological effects," the researchers said.

Both adults and children can avoid these negative effects by keeping our digital devices outside of the bedroom, which is easier said than done. Some apps like F.lux can adjust a computer display’s colour according to its location and time of day, which may be more helpful on a daily basis.

Ultimately, though, the push to adjust screen lighting has to come from manufacturers. "All hardware devices should have an automatic “bedtime mode” that shifts blue and green light emissions to yellow and red as well as reduces backlight/light intensity," Gringras and the team write. "We hope that as technology improves, 'brighter' will not always be synonymous with 'better'."

Question 1 (2 points) Indicate whether the following statements are true or false and write down which part of the text justifies your answer.

a. Producers are planning to make our devices more effective.

b. This light does not affect our day activities.

c. E-books influence our organism.

d. Devices already adjust brightness to the time of day.

Question 2 (2 points) Answer the following questions in your own words.

a. Why does blue light from devices affect our sleep?

b. How can these negative effects be avoided?

Question 3 (1.5 points) Find words or phrases in the text that correspond in meaning to the words and definitions given.

a. impatient par 1                      b. pace par 3                c. routine par 3

d. cite par 4                              e .impulse par 6

Question 4 (1.5 points) Complete the following sentences without changing the meaning.

a. This type of light is likely to cause the most disruption to sleep.

This type of light will ……………………………………………….

b. As an unwanted byproduct, this light is affecting our sleep and productivity.

As an unwanted byproduct, our sleep and productivity ………….

c. Devices like the iPhone, iPad and Kindle emit a blue light, so our sleep is restless and disrupted.

If devices like iPhone, iPad and Kindle.........................

Question 5 (3 points) Write a short essay (120-150 words) on the following topic:

-          How has technology changed our lives? or

-          How do you think technology will change our lives? Or

-          We often forget that sleeping is necessary for our well-being. Do you agree?