News Article

Do you find yourself watching TV, checking Facebook or responding to emails just before you go to bed? Well this is a very common thing, in fact 95% of people say they regularly browse the web, text or watch TV in the hour before bed.

Phones, tablets, laptops and TVs are distracting us from our beauty sleep but does it really have a negative effect on your sleep? Well it can in fact make it harder to go to sleep when you finally close your eyes, which in turn can lead to sleep loss that affects your mental and physical well-being.

Here are some stats that may make you reconsider your pre-bed rituals:
• Over 75% of people are connected to the internet via mobile device (laptops, tablets, smartphones)
• 90% of 18 to 29 year olds say that they sleep with their mobiles in or next to their beds
• 1 in 4 people don’t silence their mobile phones before bed
• 1 in 10 say they are waken up at least a few times a week by phone calls, texts or emails Are you an addict?
• 50% of people say if they wake up in the middle of the night, they will automatically check their mobile phones straight away
In a study of people who use gadgets before they sleep:
• 63% of people said that their sleep needs were not met during the week
Gadgets don’t just keep you awake; they also make it more difficult to fall asleep as the light from these electronic devices will suppress melatonin (the chemical in your body that encourages sleep) by 22% over the space of 2 hours.
Regular late night technology usage is also associated with stress and depressive symptoms.

At Brighton Homes, we encourage and educate all our staff to have a good night’s sleep. Only people who are working through the night is our property management department, but they have to do this to make sure all our tenants needs are met, regardless of the time of the day.

How could this affect your life?
• 1 in 5 car accidents are a result of drowsy driving
• 3 in 10 workers will fall asleep at their desks this month
• Sleeping an average of less than 6 hours per night raises lifetime heart attacks by 50%

So maybe it’s worth switching your devices off before you go to bed...