It seems like barely a moment goes by where we aren’t staring at a screen, whether it be our phone, computer, tv or animated advertisements. But with the internet indoctrinating us into a world that never sleeps, it’s really our sleep that’s suffering as a result. Whilst doing a last minute Facebook check before bed might seem innocent enough, neuroscientist Penelope Lewis stated in an interview with NPR that the blue wavelengths found in your average touchscreen actually tricks your brain into thinking it’s still day (NPR.org, 2013) ruining your sleep cycle. In fact, the Sleep Foundation’s 2013 International Bedroom Poll (2013) found 58% of its UK sample get less sleep than needed on the average weekday. Even more importantly it is the quality of our sleep that’s also taking a hit. In the same study, 11% of those in the United Kingdom say they can never get a good’s night sleep, the highest percentage in all 6 countries included in the study.
What might be the cause of our sleep woe? Digital publishing of course! As text continues to make the slow but inevitable transition from page to screen, it's having a detrimental affect on our very sleep patterns, with the potential to increase your risk of heart disease, obesity and diabetes, and even cognitive brain damage (JM, Gregory, 2008). Oh dear.
Don't worry though. You probably won't drop dead tomorrow from blue-wavelength emitting screens, but it has proposed the question to publishers about how to take this problem.
The most obvious solution at the moment is found with the Kindle. Its innovative e-ink display is designed to mimic the printed page and still has digital's advantage of storing hundreds of books in one small device. More recently, Amazon has confronted the issue of e-ink not being backlit as - which is not so convenient when you're settling in for a midnight read. The Kindle Paperwhite passively illuminates the screen, making it readable in the dark without damaging confusing your nogin (Chen, B. 2014). So all good right? Perhaps not. Kindle's latest ventures have been focussed a lot on its Fire range (which feature dastardly full-colour LED displays). The range has grown from just one, to four models, all ranging in price and screen size. So even Amazon is going down the iPad-copycat route.
So while we sit back to see the human race plunge deeper and deeper into sleep debt, why don't I point you towards some nifty sleeping gadgets that might just get you that quality nap time you probably need.
Mifits’ Shine Fitness + Sleep Monitor (Misfits Wearables, 2014) is on the cusp of this wearable tech innovation, offering a nifty cylindrical device that can be clapped onto your wrist, or popped into your waist pocket.
Sense (Sense, 2014) is a bedside table accessory that not only monitors your sleeping behaviours using a pillow sensor, but also assesses and rates the sleeping environment as well, from temperature to noise and gives advice on how to improve it.
Word count: 400
Bibliography
Bradshaw, T. (2014). CES 2014: Wearables emerge as top trend. Financial Times, 6 January. [Online] Available at: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/50264574-7485-11e3-9125-00144feabdc0.html#axzz3FfgFC4D1. [Accessed: 9th October 2014].
Chen, B. (2012). Light Reading: How the Kindle Paperwhite Works. NY Times. 26 December. [Online] Available at: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/12/26/technology/light-reading.html?_r=0. [Accessed: 9th October 2014].
Gartner. (2014). Hype Cycles 2014. [Online] Available at: http://www.gartner.com/technology/research/hype-cycles/. [Accessed: 9th October 2014].
JM, Gregory. (2008). Sleep: a good investment in health and safety. Agromedicine 13(2) [Online] Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19042703. [Accessed: 9th October 2014].
Misfits Wearables. (2014). Shine. Available at: misfitswearables.com/products/shine. [Accessed: 9th October 2014].
NPR.org. (2013). Of Neurons And Memories: Inside The 'Secret World Of Sleep'. [Online] Available at: http://www.npr.org/2013/08/15/212276021/of-neurons-and-memories-inside-the-secret-world-of-sleep [Accessed 9th October 2014].
Sense. (2014). Homepage. Available at: hello.is. [Accessed: 9th october 2014].
Sleep Foundation. (2013). 2013 International Bedroom Poll. [Online] Available at: http://sleepfoundation.org/sites/default/files/RPT495a.pdf. [Accessed: 9th October 2014]
Which. (2014). Ebook readers: Which Kindle should I buy?. [Online] Available at:
http://www.which.co.uk/technology/computing/guides/which-kindle-should-i-buy/. [Accessed: 9th October 2014].
What might be the cause of our sleep woe? Digital publishing of course! As text continues to make the slow but inevitable transition from page to screen, it's having a detrimental affect on our very sleep patterns, with the potential to increase your risk of heart disease, obesity and diabetes, and even cognitive brain damage (JM, Gregory, 2008). Oh dear.
Don't worry though. You probably won't drop dead tomorrow from blue-wavelength emitting screens, but it has proposed the question to publishers about how to take this problem.
The most obvious solution at the moment is found with the Kindle. Its innovative e-ink display is designed to mimic the printed page and still has digital's advantage of storing hundreds of books in one small device. More recently, Amazon has confronted the issue of e-ink not being backlit as - which is not so convenient when you're settling in for a midnight read. The Kindle Paperwhite passively illuminates the screen, making it readable in the dark without damaging confusing your nogin (Chen, B. 2014). So all good right? Perhaps not. Kindle's latest ventures have been focussed a lot on its Fire range (which feature dastardly full-colour LED displays). The range has grown from just one, to four models, all ranging in price and screen size. So even Amazon is going down the iPad-copycat route.
So while we sit back to see the human race plunge deeper and deeper into sleep debt, why don't I point you towards some nifty sleeping gadgets that might just get you that quality nap time you probably need.
Mifits’ Shine Fitness + Sleep Monitor (Misfits Wearables, 2014) is on the cusp of this wearable tech innovation, offering a nifty cylindrical device that can be clapped onto your wrist, or popped into your waist pocket.
Sense (Sense, 2014) is a bedside table accessory that not only monitors your sleeping behaviours using a pillow sensor, but also assesses and rates the sleeping environment as well, from temperature to noise and gives advice on how to improve it.
Word count: 400
Bibliography
Bradshaw, T. (2014). CES 2014: Wearables emerge as top trend. Financial Times, 6 January. [Online] Available at: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/50264574-7485-11e3-9125-00144feabdc0.html#axzz3FfgFC4D1. [Accessed: 9th October 2014].
Chen, B. (2012). Light Reading: How the Kindle Paperwhite Works. NY Times. 26 December. [Online] Available at: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/12/26/technology/light-reading.html?_r=0. [Accessed: 9th October 2014].
Gartner. (2014). Hype Cycles 2014. [Online] Available at: http://www.gartner.com/technology/research/hype-cycles/. [Accessed: 9th October 2014].
JM, Gregory. (2008). Sleep: a good investment in health and safety. Agromedicine 13(2) [Online] Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19042703. [Accessed: 9th October 2014].
Misfits Wearables. (2014). Shine. Available at: misfitswearables.com/products/shine. [Accessed: 9th October 2014].
NPR.org. (2013). Of Neurons And Memories: Inside The 'Secret World Of Sleep'. [Online] Available at: http://www.npr.org/2013/08/15/212276021/of-neurons-and-memories-inside-the-secret-world-of-sleep [Accessed 9th October 2014].
Sense. (2014). Homepage. Available at: hello.is. [Accessed: 9th october 2014].
Sleep Foundation. (2013). 2013 International Bedroom Poll. [Online] Available at: http://sleepfoundation.org/sites/default/files/RPT495a.pdf. [Accessed: 9th October 2014]
Which. (2014). Ebook readers: Which Kindle should I buy?. [Online] Available at:
http://www.which.co.uk/technology/computing/guides/which-kindle-should-i-buy/. [Accessed: 9th October 2014].