How smartphone light affects your brain and body

Using smartphone in the dark could lead to insomnia, damage retina resulting in loss of vision

We are all addicted to using our phones at night in the dark, but recent studies indicate this could lead to severe health problems.

In order to make it possible for us to see even in the brightest conditions, smartphone screens work by emitting blue lights.



However, these lights confuse our brain at night as they mimic the brightness of the sun, causing our brain to halt the production of melatonin, a chemical that tells our body when to sleep.

The lack of melatonin disturbs the biological clock of our body, resulting in insomnia and unnatural sleep cycles and could possibly lead to serious health risks.

Potential Hazards

Disturbed sleep cycle caused by using smartphones at night could lead to distracted and impaired memory the next day.  This also leads to difficulty with learning.



People who regularly use their smartphones at night before going to bed are at risk of developing neurotoxins due to a lack of sleep. In the long run, this could lead to insomnia.

Further, people who have low melatonin levels due to using smartphones at night, are also more likely to experience depression. It could also lead to hormone imbalances, increasing the risk of obesity.

Researchers also claim that there is a link between disturbed sleep due to exposure to light at night and an increased risk of breast and prostate cancer.



Blue light from smartphones could also damage the retina over time resulting in loss of vision, while researchers are investigating whether there’s a connection between using smartphone and the increased risk of developing cataract.

DESIGN: NABEEL AHMED

This article was originally published on Tech Insider.

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