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CNN has a fascinating report today about the effects that the iPad may be having on your sleeping patterns if you like taking it to bed with you at night. Apparently the strong glow from devices such as the iPad might be fooling your brain into thinking that it’s still daytime, disturbing your sleep patterns and exacerbating insomnia. That’s the theory, anyway.
“That light can be sufficiently stimulating to the brain to make it more awake and delay your ability to sleep,” neuroscience professor Phyllis Zee told CNN, adding, “And I think, more importantly, it could also be sufficient to affect your circadian rhythm. This is the clock in your brain that determines when you sleep and when you wake up.”
The report mentions using your iPad to read in bed in particular, with the iPad possibly being more likely to disrupt your sleep pattern than a TV or a bedside lamp, as the iPad is much closer and shining its light directly into your eye when you focus on it.
However, the article goes on to state that there are many other factors that determine how sensitive a person is to artificial light at night-time. A farmer who works in sunlight all day long, for example, would be less likely to be susceptible than an office worker who is exposed to much dimmer light throughout the day.
The CNN article is at pains to point out that there has been no specific research done in this field on the iPad or on laptaps to date, and it also notes that several iPad owners contacted by CNN had told them that they enjoyed using the iPad to read in bed and had felt no detrimental effects to their sleep patterns whatsoever.
Apple, as usual, had no comment to make on the story!
By Maura Sutton, iPadForums.net
Source: Living With Technology - CNN
