DAVE ROSS

Why you feel so sleepy

Dec 31, 2014, 11:15 PM | Updated: Jan 1, 2015, 1:07 pm

Doctors say if you were trying to read yourself to sleep with an e-reader, you were sending a confl...

Doctors say if you were trying to read yourself to sleep with an e-reader, you were sending a conflicting message to your brain. (AP photo)

(AP photo)

Part of the reason you’re sleepy could be staying up too late last night. But the other part could be the way you were trying to get to sleep. If you were trying to read yourself to sleep with an e-reader, you were sending a conflicting message to your brain.

“People don’t realize that the e-reader is emitting light directly into your eyes, shining it directly into your eyes. Basically, it’s telling your brain that it’s daytime.”

Dr. Charles Czeisler ran a study over 14 days where participants checked into Brigham and Womens’ hospital to read themselves to sleep. For five nights in a row, some subjects read from an iPad before bedtime and the rest read from a printed book; then the following week they switched.

They were all hooked up to sensors to document not just how long they slept, but how well.

And the data shows that light from the e-reader tells the body that the sun is up.

“That suppresses the sleep promoting hormone, melatonin, which is also an anti-cancer agent. It shifts our circadian rhythms to a later hour.”

E-reader users took longer to fall asleep and dreamed less. The effect was the same as working the night shift.

Whereas printed books…

“The printed book doesn’t have these effects,” since they use reflected light, not direct light.

But you don’t have to give up your e-reader. You can get one that uses reflected light, like the original Kindle, or just switch your tablet to white on black, which cuts the amount of light considerably. Or just give the tablet to your spouse and have them read to you. Then it’s their problem.

Dave's Commentary

Dave Ross on KIRO Newsradio 97.3 FM
  • listen to dave rossTune in to KIRO Newsradio weekdays at 5am for Dave Ross on Seattle's Morning News.

Dave Ross

car culture...

Dave Ross

Ross: Are we killing car culture? Or is car culture killing the US?

I don’t think the question is whether we're going to "kill" our car culture. The real question is can we stop our car culture from killing the U.S.?

3 days ago

drivers data insurance...

Dave Ross

Ross: As cars release driving data to insurance, is your driving my business?

Every move you make, every swerve you take, every lane change you fake – someone’s watching you. Do drivers have a right to keep driving data private?

10 days ago

rent control...

Dave Ross

Ross: Rent control was never the answer in Wash.

The rent control bill died in the Washington State Legislature this week, even though Democrats control both houses.

1 month ago

end of democracy...

Dave Ross

Ross: Conservative activist earns applause for pledging an ‘end of Democracy’

The theme from Jack Posobiec's speech is that Jan. 6 was a righteous attack not on democracy, but on those who threaten democracy.

1 month ago

Image: Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colorado, is seen on Capitol Hill on Jan. 6, 2023. (Photo: Alex Brand...

Dave Ross

Ross: Voters can help cull bad politicians from the herd early

Let's remember that just about every occupant of a higher office once occupied a lower office, and was put there by us, Dave Ross says.

1 month ago

Super Bowl celebration...

Dave Ross

Ross: The NFL does it again

The NFL once again put on a show that was able to keep me tuned in for four hours even though I had no stake in either team.

2 months ago

Why you feel so sleepy