Studies link sleep disorders to backlit displays like the iPad’s

Aug 29, 2012 21:11 GMT  ·  By

A new study conducted by the Lighting Research Center (LRC) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has revealed that using your iPad or iPhone prior to going to sleep might do you harm.

Researchers at LRC have found that two-hour exposure to your iPhone and / or iPad, which have self-luminous “backlit” displays, causes melatonin suppression. This can lead to delayed bedtimes, especially in teens, said the research group.

Mariana Figueiro, associate professor at Rensselaer and director of the LRC’s Light and Health Program, said that a two-hour exposure can suppress melatonin by as much as 22%.

In other words, you can safely use your iPad to check your email for ten minutes before turning in. But it's still not recommended, according to the study.

After 60 minutes of use, the melatonin suppression values were reportedly quite similar to those estimated using a predictive model of human circadian phototransduction for light exposures that lasted a full hour.

Based on these results, Figueiro suggested that display manufacturers could use their model to determine how their products affect circadian system regulation. If Apple gets LG and Samsung to comply, the company could cite yet another reason why the iPad is a far superior solution compared to other tablets.

LRC stresses that Melatonin is a pretty important hormone produced by the pineal gland at night and under conditions of darkness it acts as a “timing messenger” which signals nighttime information.

The basic idea is if you expose yourself to light when you shouldn’t (especially short-wavelength light), you can slow and sometimes even cease nocturnal melatonin production. Its impact? Well, read below.

“Suppression of melatonin by light at night resulting in circadian disruption has been implicated in sleep disturbances, increased risk for diabetes and obesity, as well as increased risk for more serious diseases, such as breast cancer, if circadian disruption occurs for many consecutive years, such as in nightshift workers.”

It can also lead to seasonal affective disorder (also known as seasonal depression), as well as other mental disorders.

Makes you think again about pulling out your iPhone before bed, doesn't it?