Comments on: How to improve sleep through seeking and avoiding light at the right times

By: Deb

Deb — Sun, 08 Dec 2013 16:09:24 +0000

I believe that it could be EMF’s (electrical magnetic fields) that could affect us. Our bodies and the ground are at 10 hertz and electrical items such as appliances, wiring, lights, etc are at about 50 hertz. Wireless devices such as routers, cordless phones, mobile phones (even not in use) and also your TV emit frequencies which are much higher – experts advise that in order to fall into the deep REM sleep which we need for the body to regenerate.

So, it is particularly important to switch off all appliances and wireless devices which are in the room.

I had a particular problem with memory and discovered that it was worse when sleeping in our bedroom which has a circuit breaker above our bed. We now turn off all wireless devices, turn off and unplug all appliances, mobile phones, we switched to a corded phone and I found good quality protection from EMFs which has greatly improved my memory.

That would, to me, make sense when it comes to turning off lighting, computers, etc and also the earthing effect which Stuart speaks about in his post.

By: Laturb

Laturb — Fri, 09 Aug 2013 13:30:33 +0000

Couldn’t agree more about the negative affects that computers et al can have on sleep. I can guarantee a poor night by working late, whereas finishing at 9.00pm helps me get to sleep quicker, and that also usually results in a better night.
If it’s been impossible not to work into the late evening for several nights I quite often fall back on Melatonin, and after only a few nights of that regime I find that I’m back on the wagon.

By: André

André — Fri, 09 Aug 2013 10:01:04 +0000

Smartphones are as much a problem as the light. I expect Dr Briffa to treat this issus in a future blog.

In short: genetic expression is controlled by the Schumann resonance that comes from the earth’s magnetic field. Electro-magnetic-frquencies (EMF) from you ‘smart’ phone interferes with this resonance, thereby changing you genetic expression.

By: Graham Kehily

Graham Kehily — Fri, 09 Aug 2013 09:45:46 +0000

Philips Hue lights are also worth looking at. They are colour variable LED bulbs, and can be controlled by a smartphone app (with timers, proximity etc.) I have two in the living room and another on a timer in the bedroom as a morning alarm. http://www.meethue.com has more information.

All the best,

Graham

By: André

André — Fri, 09 Aug 2013 07:31:13 +0000

It is the blue light component that is the worst. Sunlight has blue light only in the morning; in the evening it gets ‘warmer’. Humans have blue light receptors in their eyes so the morning sun can set your circadian rythm.

Blue light in the evening makes a mess of your time setting. Sleep is the first to suffer. But the consequences go way beyond that. Too bad all this I-pod,I-pad stuff emits lots of blue light.

I do use f.lux, but I have set the temperature of the light to 2700 kelvin all day. It takes away 95% of the blue light.

By: Stuart Ward

Stuart Ward — Fri, 09 Aug 2013 06:13:09 +0000

I went on a weeks camping trip in May and noticed the same sleep improvement dramatically and felt so good for it. I was exhausted by 9-9:30pm and was asleep by 10pm most nights, rock & roll i know and quite unusual for me.

Back at home It’s so hard to put the laptop down, phone away or turn the TV off as this is often considered downtime but really isn’t.

To try and get away from this disconnect I’ve started to read in the garden (when the weather allows) until it’s too dark too see the pages. Although not as dramatic as the camping trip it has helped me wind down and bring on the sleepy feeling. I wonder if the earthing effect while camping (i walked around barefoot) was also a factor or it was purely the lack of “fake light”?

I’ll have to come up with a new routine in the winter and maybe that will help me take the next step to switching off the TV earlier when indoors?

By: Dr. Geo Espinosa

Dr. Geo Espinosa — Thu, 08 Aug 2013 22:54:08 +0000

Great post Dr. Briffa. Ironically, although I specialize in natural medicine for urological conditions, my latest post was on sleep as well. I hope you enjoy the read and excuse the grammatical errors and typos 😉 – work in progress.

http://drgeo.com/my-sleep-deprivation-experience-why-sleep-is-important

By: Frederica Huxley

Frederica Huxley — Thu, 08 Aug 2013 21:22:15 +0000

I recommend f.lux (justgetflux.com) for your computer – it automatically dims down the screen in the evening, softening the ‘sunlight’ glow which is only appropriate in the daytime. This facilitates the transition to lights out when you go to bed.