Do you play with your phone before bedtime? You may want to read a book instead. According to a US study, looking at screens at night can cause us to sleep badly.
In the evening, our bodies make melatonin (褪黑素). Melatonin helps us feel sleepy and relaxed. It’s an important part of our sleep cycle (周期). Our electronic screens stop that cycle from working normally (正常地).
Why? Phones, computers and TVs make blue light. Blue light stops our bodies from making melatonin. Even just a little bit of blue light can have an effect (影响). Eight minutes of blue light can keep your brain “awake” for an hour, according to the study. Even if you fall asleep, you may have lots of dreams. Your brain won’t have a good rest.
It’s even worse if you play an exciting game before bed. Games make our hearts beat faster, so we have a harder time falling asleep. Then, when we fall asleep, we don’t get enough “deep sleep”.
【小题1】Does melatonin help us feel sleepy and relaxed?【小题2】What do phones, computers and TVs make to stop our bodies from making melatonin?
【小题3】How long can eight minutes of blue light keep our brain “awake”?
【小题4】Do you think you have enough sleep? Why or why not?