Are you the person who just HAS to check Facebook and HAS to make one more move on Words with Friends right before bed? Yup, me too. But I’m going to try to stop! You see, smartphones and laptops emit very bright blue light, which mimics the brightness of the sun. This tricks your brain into thinking it is daytime and tells it to stop producing melatonin, which tells your body “it's time to go to sleep." Interestingly, one study found that subjects who read a printed book before bed (versus those who read on a smartphone) had longer REM sleep, secreted more melatonin, and had more energy the next day. Another study found that looking at a smartphone before bed had an even worse effect on the subjects’ sleep schedule than a double espresso!
