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I'm very new to this site so forgive me if this has already been discussed but it is too important to not share.  I have discovered, if I get on my computer for any amount of time at all 3 -4 hours before bed, it will dramatically screw up my ability to sleep!  When I researched this, I discovered all kinds of websites validating this.  If I get on the computer at night, I'm lucky if I stay asleep 3-4 hours.  If I don't get on the computer at night, I'm out for at least seven hours with zero nighttime trips to the bathroom..  

It seems the blue wave light emitted from the computer monitor will really interfere with your brain's natural sleep mechanisms.  

I WAS looking to buy a Kindle but I'm postponing this purchase until I find proof that this device will not impair my sleep like a computer monitor does.

I even tried wearing tinted glasses while on the computer in the evening.  Didn't help.  So now I do all my computer stuff in the wee hours of the morning before I go to work.  If you want to look it up yourself just google "computer monitors interfering with sleep".  You'll get dozens of web pages to view.

 

Hope this helps someone.

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Wow, thanks for posting this. I've heard of this but figured it can't be happening to me. (Denial running rampant.) I was on the computer at bedtime last night (11 PM) and my AHI this AM was 5.2 and for no apparent reason. When I shut it off around 9 PM my numbers are much lower, like in the 1s and 2s.I watch TV though. Hmm.

Every sleep doc should be telling this to their patients!

I am reading that even TV's can ruin your sleep but not nearly as severe.

Thank you Kate for your post and you too, Marcia. I've read, you shouldn't watch TV or use a monitor for at least one hour before going to bed. I've been having problems sleeping lately and after reading your posts, I'm going to turn off the computer and TV at 10:00 so I can go to sleep at 11:00.

Kim, my threshold turns out to be FOUR hours before bed!  Kind of bums since I like to surf Ebay every evening.  Now I go to bed super early (8pm'ish) and get up at three to do my computer stuff.  Weird but it works.

I experiment with this Computer Monitor dimming software and it seems to help a bit.

http://f-lux.en.softonic.com/



Kate said:

Kim, my threshold turns out to be FOUR hours before bed!  Kind of bums since I like to surf Ebay every evening.  Now I go to bed super early (8pm'ish) and get up at three to do my computer stuff.  Weird but it works.



Kim Angevine said:

I don't know Kate if I could do that because I'm just too addicted to surfing the net, reading online, or watching TV. I really admire your will-power.

You give me courage to try tonight Ito turn everything off an hour before I try to go to sleep. Wish me luck!!

Kate said:

Kim, my threshold turns out to be FOUR hours before bed!  Kind of bums since I like to surf Ebay every evening.  Now I go to bed super early (8pm'ish) and get up at three to do my computer stuff.  Weird but it works.

Kim, I'm addicted, too!  I just shifted my activities to in the morning instead of at night.  It's hard to do at first because getting on the computer at night is seen as a natural way to unwind after a long day.  But I guarantee you, once you FEEL for yourself the difference in sleep quality, it gets way easier!  Good luck!

Thanks Kate, I need it. Good luck to you, too.

Kate said:

Kim, I'm addicted, too!  I just shifted my activities to in the morning instead of at night.  It's hard to do at first because getting on the computer at night is seen as a natural way to unwind after a long day.  But I guarantee you, once you FEEL for yourself the difference in sleep quality, it gets way easier!  Good luck!

Donna - Keep in mind, it's not the "brightness" of the monitor that is sabotaging your sleep.  Light is a spectrum of colors not visible to the human eye unless "fractured" by passing through a prism, or rain, etc.  The light coming from a computer monitor is heavy in the "blue" wavelength frequency.  It's this "blue"  that you can't even see that is destroying the melatonin levels in your brain that is necessary for sleep.  It's not "just" the melatonin it screws with.  I've tried supplementing by taking extra melatonin but that does not help. Hope this helps.

Thank you very much for this post, Kate.

I've been trying to figure out why I have slept so well when I was away from home -- and so poorly when I'm home. Computer use may be the culprit.

I'm going to turn my computer off by about 7:00 pm for the next few nights to see if I sleep better. If not, maybe I'll have to test shutting it down even earlier. If I find that I get better sleep, I'm going to have to rearrange my life a bit to eliminate computer use at night. It will be worth it.

I also read articles that came up in my Google search. I recently changed clock radios and now have a (likely sleep disturbing) green display, something this article touches upon: 

I also have a Kindle. These items might interest those of you who likewise have one:

http://www.tomsguide.com/us/ipad-kindle-sleep-cycle-ereader-lcd,new...

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2010/04/ipad-kindle-eboo...

Again, thanks for this post Kate. I think a lot of us are going to benefit from the information you provided.

Thanks, Jay. I just downloaded this.

Jay Polatnick said:

I experiment with this Computer Monitor dimming software and it seems to help a bit.

http://f-lux.en.softonic.com/

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