Many people watch online videos on their mobile phones from day to night. As a result, they have difficulty falling asleep and have no energy during work and school. Why does using mobile phones energize you? And why is it so addicting?
From a physiological perspective, there are two reasons. First, to enter and maintain sleep, the brain needs to release melatonin. Electronic screens emit a large amount of blue light (the visible light is composed of a spectrum of lights, a mixture of different colors). The blue light greatly inhibits the release of melanin. As you go to sleep, your brain quickly releases melatonin, so you can fall asleep quickly and peacefully. As you want to wake up the next day, melatonin stops releasing. Your brain leaves the sleep state, making you feel awake.
This beautiful rhythm mainly depends on the eyes’ contact with light. A walk outside the house in the morning, due to the exposure to sunlight, can refresh the mind. Many people mistakenly believe that taking melatonin supplements can twist this law of nature: Work during the day and sleep during the night. This is foolish. Taking melatonin supplements cannot replicate the natural rhythms and effects.
In addition, blue light can directly stimulate the quick transmission of norepinephrine in the brain. It can make the brain more active in seconds. The response is especially quick when the eyes receive exciting stimulation, creating a drive to act. Even when the content is the same, it is easier to get sleepy when flipping through a storybook of, let’s say, “The Three Little Pigs” than watching an animation of “The Three Little Pigs” on your mobile phone. This is because books don’t emit light, while the mobile phone emits blue light. The more you watch, the more energized you will be. You have to “keep binging”, just like saying “one more drink” as an alcoholic, feeling like you can’t stop (and the website is taking advantage of this feeling of yours to make constant video suggestions). The result is the illusion that one does not need to sleep. Over time, it seriously disturbs sleep and damages the brain.
Written by: Dr. William Chui
Originally posted on: Health HKEJ
Translated by: Cheuk Long Chan
