<p>After a tedious day at work, 24-year-old Akash Sampath, an IT management executive, rushes home and switches his mobile network on to find a number of messages waiting to be answered.<br /><br /></p>.<p> Work demands him to log into his office email at intervals too, while he juggles family time and chatting with his fiance who lives away. It’s almost 1 am and he hasn’t been able to get off his mobile phone yet though he is aware that he won’t get enough sleep, which will affect the next day’s work.<br /><br />Many in the city are affected by being glued to their cellphones well into their bedtime. Darshak Gowda, an associate consultant, says, “I also have to keep checking my work emails at night. I often experience strain in the eyes after spending the day looking at the computer screen and then staring into the cellphone at night,” says Darshak. The fear of missing out on updates of friends and pondering over pictures also lengthens one’s daytime hours, says Darshak. <br /><br />Others like Keerthana Tarun Bindingnavale, an HR executive, confess that quality sleep has been affected by mobile phone. “When I’m bored, I keep fiddling with WhatsApp or other social media. Once online, it is hard to get off and this extends one’s daytime hours,” she says. Seeing how it has affected her life, Keerthana keeps herself busy through the night, stays away from her mobile phone and keeps the internet off.<br /><br />Losing sleep due to technological interference is a common issue, cites Dr Jameel Khan, general physician. “The excess use of mobile phones around bedtime affects one’s sleeping and waking patterns. The rays emitted by these gadgets reduce the production of the chemical melatonin, which regulates sleep and wake cycle,” he says.<br /><br />Dr Jameel adds that people take longer time to sleep when exposed to gadgets at bedtime. “The brain remains active. The more time one takes to sleep, the later one wakes up and the more lethargic they turn out to be,” he says. Knowing that the body needs rest from all activities and shutting off technology at least 30 minutes before bedtime is the only way out, he says.<br /><br />Explains Dr Shubha Madhusudhan, clinical psychologist, Fortis Hospitals, “If before hitting the bed, one has thoughts or does things that can lead to stress, this can affect the sleep pattern. While hours of sleep is defined individually for different people, humans were always programmed to shut off when the sun goes down. We have altered the way of living by additions like electricity and these gadgets,” she says. <br /><br />In terms of using cellphones or smaller gadgets before bedtime, Dr Shubha says that one has to focus on ‘impulse control’. “Stress response is triggered when the body is confused. If one is into playing games or chatting before going to bed, it can lead to competing with one’s previous scores or being affected by other’s words,” she adds. <br />Of the regular cases Dr Shubha sees, around 60 percent are sleep-deprived because of overexposure to mobile phone or gadgets. <br /><br />“There are even 7 year old’s being brought without proper sleep because they play games on the phones. If an anxious person loses a game he or she was playing, this will lead to irritability which in turn affects the sleep pattern. Everyone wants instant success now,” she says. <br /><br />The only way out is to know when and what is enough or respond accordingly to failure, she adds.<br /><br /></p>
<p>After a tedious day at work, 24-year-old Akash Sampath, an IT management executive, rushes home and switches his mobile network on to find a number of messages waiting to be answered.<br /><br /></p>.<p> Work demands him to log into his office email at intervals too, while he juggles family time and chatting with his fiance who lives away. It’s almost 1 am and he hasn’t been able to get off his mobile phone yet though he is aware that he won’t get enough sleep, which will affect the next day’s work.<br /><br />Many in the city are affected by being glued to their cellphones well into their bedtime. Darshak Gowda, an associate consultant, says, “I also have to keep checking my work emails at night. I often experience strain in the eyes after spending the day looking at the computer screen and then staring into the cellphone at night,” says Darshak. The fear of missing out on updates of friends and pondering over pictures also lengthens one’s daytime hours, says Darshak. <br /><br />Others like Keerthana Tarun Bindingnavale, an HR executive, confess that quality sleep has been affected by mobile phone. “When I’m bored, I keep fiddling with WhatsApp or other social media. Once online, it is hard to get off and this extends one’s daytime hours,” she says. Seeing how it has affected her life, Keerthana keeps herself busy through the night, stays away from her mobile phone and keeps the internet off.<br /><br />Losing sleep due to technological interference is a common issue, cites Dr Jameel Khan, general physician. “The excess use of mobile phones around bedtime affects one’s sleeping and waking patterns. The rays emitted by these gadgets reduce the production of the chemical melatonin, which regulates sleep and wake cycle,” he says.<br /><br />Dr Jameel adds that people take longer time to sleep when exposed to gadgets at bedtime. “The brain remains active. The more time one takes to sleep, the later one wakes up and the more lethargic they turn out to be,” he says. Knowing that the body needs rest from all activities and shutting off technology at least 30 minutes before bedtime is the only way out, he says.<br /><br />Explains Dr Shubha Madhusudhan, clinical psychologist, Fortis Hospitals, “If before hitting the bed, one has thoughts or does things that can lead to stress, this can affect the sleep pattern. While hours of sleep is defined individually for different people, humans were always programmed to shut off when the sun goes down. We have altered the way of living by additions like electricity and these gadgets,” she says. <br /><br />In terms of using cellphones or smaller gadgets before bedtime, Dr Shubha says that one has to focus on ‘impulse control’. “Stress response is triggered when the body is confused. If one is into playing games or chatting before going to bed, it can lead to competing with one’s previous scores or being affected by other’s words,” she adds. <br />Of the regular cases Dr Shubha sees, around 60 percent are sleep-deprived because of overexposure to mobile phone or gadgets. <br /><br />“There are even 7 year old’s being brought without proper sleep because they play games on the phones. If an anxious person loses a game he or she was playing, this will lead to irritability which in turn affects the sleep pattern. Everyone wants instant success now,” she says. <br /><br />The only way out is to know when and what is enough or respond accordingly to failure, she adds.<br /><br /></p>
