Khaberni - Doctors warn that using mobile phones late at night not only harms sleep quality, but may also lead to serious health problems. A long-term study conducted by scientists from Spain, which lasted over 12 years and involved about 460,000 participants, showed a potential link between continuous exposure to night light and an increased risk of thyroid cancer by up to 55%, especially among women. It is likely that the cause is the effect of blue light emitted from screens on the secretion of thyroid hormones, but researchers confirm that the results need further verification.
Dr. Leo Jing, the chief doctor in the department of psychiatry at Anding Hospital in Beijing, points out that reading on a phone screen before sleep leads to increased alertness and inhibits the secretion of the sleep-regulating hormone melatonin. According to studies, using screens for more than two hours can reduce melatonin production by 22% and delay the body's biological clock, leading to difficulty sleeping and accelerated cellular aging.
In another study conducted by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health on more than 45,000 people aged between 18 and 28, it was found that each additional hour of phone use before bed increases the risk of insomnia by 59%, and reduces sleep duration by an average of 24 minutes. Additionally, prolonged use of phones while lying down causes eye and neck strain, as looking from a close distance weakens the ciliary muscle and blurs vision, while the wrong neck posture contributes to deformation of the natural curvature of the cervical spine.
The impact does not stop there, as nighttime phone use is also linked to increased appetite and a desire for high-calorie foods due to the elevation of the hormones adrenaline and dopamine, which causes sleep delay and negatively affects the quality of deep sleep.
Doctors advise avoiding phone use before bed for at least an hour and a half, as this helps the body regulate hormones and naturally boost melatonin production. It is also advisable to reduce screen brightness, adjust ambient lighting to reduce eye strain, and maintain a proper position that keeps the eyes level with the screen to avoid neck and back pain.
