A Book at Bedtime and the Effect of Reading E-Books Before Sleeping.

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Hiding under the covers secretly with a book and a torch is a common bedtime memory. These days, children are more likely to curl up under the duvet with a kindle or e-book for a secret 'lights out' read but did you know that in doing so children are likely to be not just shortening the amount of time that they sleep but are also likely to be damaging their sleep and maybe even their health too? There has been rapidly increasing concern about the dangers of light before bedtime and many people consider that one should do all that can be done to minimise light-exposure prior to sleeping. A group of researchers from Harvard Medical School have carried out research comparing the reading of 'paper books' with the reading of light-emitting e-readers before sleep. Twelve people took part in the research which involved remaining in a sleep laboratory for a period of fourteen days. Each participants spent approximately half of the time reading from an iPad and half the time reading from a paperback book. It was found by analysing blood samples on a regular basis that production of melatonin, a sleep inducing hormone, was present in lesser amounts among those that had been reading the e-book. It was also found that the participants who read back-lit e-readers took longer to fall asleep and that this lead to poorer quality sleep. The same participants were also more tired the following morning. In conclusion, it would seem that the reading of electronic books rather than traditional paperbacks has a detrimental affect on sleep and on overall

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