To understand why light from your computer
Posted: Wed Jul 09, 2025 5:06 am
If you are like many internet users today, maybe the last thing you do at night before falling asleep is Sitting at a computer – checking Facebook on your smartphone or watching Netflix on your laptop. But do you also tend to stay up late, have trouble falling asleep, or wake up inexplicably restless? It’s no coincidence: Scientists agree that light from your computer or cell phone can keep you up at night and seriously disrupt your sleep patterns. We spoke to Richard Stevens, a medical researcher at the University of Connecticut, and he explained why.
Your internal clock
can affect your sleep, Stevens says you first need to understand how your body keeps time. Stevens explains that your body has an internal clock that regulates everything “from your core body temperature, to when to release hormon phone number library es like melatonin,” the chemical that says prepares your body for sleep. If you’ve ever battled jet lag to no avail, you know the power of your body’s internal clock.
In simple terms, your internal clock works like this: a part of your brain (called the suprachiasmatic nucleus) coordinates your internal timing and tells different parts of your body how and when to behave. “Similar to the conductor of an orchestra,” says Stevens. This part of the brain works by sending electrical signals and chemicals through clusters of cells on an always-punctual, roughly 24-hour, rhythm.
Your internal clock
can affect your sleep, Stevens says you first need to understand how your body keeps time. Stevens explains that your body has an internal clock that regulates everything “from your core body temperature, to when to release hormon phone number library es like melatonin,” the chemical that says prepares your body for sleep. If you’ve ever battled jet lag to no avail, you know the power of your body’s internal clock.
In simple terms, your internal clock works like this: a part of your brain (called the suprachiasmatic nucleus) coordinates your internal timing and tells different parts of your body how and when to behave. “Similar to the conductor of an orchestra,” says Stevens. This part of the brain works by sending electrical signals and chemicals through clusters of cells on an always-punctual, roughly 24-hour, rhythm.