”Sleep deprivation is a serious medical risk, but few people are aware of that," says Joyce Walsleben, Ph.D., an associate professor of medicine at NYU School of Medicine. Sleep deprivation can increase the risks of Type II diabetes, stroke, heart problems and high blood pressure. Because of the risk of sleep deprivation, here are four things that don’t belong in the bedroom – work, electronic devices, food and pets.
Pillow as workstation?
Using a pillow as a desk for a laptop or tablet is common practice among students and adults alike who bring work home. In fact, 80 percent of young people admit to using their beds as workstations. And folks who are obsessive about work and extend their workday well into the night will, at times, work in the bedroom. All are big no-nos.
These practices condition the brain to expect to work in bed. It stimulates and stresses the brain, and that action keeps the body awake. And although a person may think he or she is fully awake, it could just be a transitional state of drifting in and out of a very light slumber. This state affects judgment and makes it harder to refocus obsessive thinking. So get out of bed and move to another part of the house – it usually stops anxious thoughts and shifts them elsewhere. Stop associating the bed with stimulation from work, and you'll be better able to relax.
Stress is the number-one cause of short-term sleep problems. It is important to learn to deal with stress in a healthy way and to not bring it to bed with you. The goal is to have the brain recognize the bed as a place for sleep and sex.
Turn Off Those Electronic Devices
In a 2014 survey of American families, 89 percent of adults and 75 percent of children have at least one electronic device, such as a television, computer, tablet or smartphone, in their bedrooms. In fact, Pew research revealed that fully two-thirds of adults and a whopping 90 percent of 18- to 29-year olds take their smartphones to bed. All this is bad news for those who advocate for a healthy bedroom environment. There are several reasons why you would want to turn off those devices an hour or so before you plan on sleeping.
The light emitted by these devices can play a powerful role in regulating your body’s day and night rhythms. "Even a small amount of brightness can be strong enough to enter your retina when your eyes are closed," says Amy Wolfson, Ph.D., author of The Woman's Book of Sleep: A Complete Resource Guide. "At night, it sends a signal to your brain that upsets your internal clock and makes you feel awake.”
Electronic gadgets emit blue light, which is known to trigger arousal in the brain. Blue light affects people by suppressing the amount of melatonin available to the brain and body. An increase in melatonin typically results in increased drowsiness. So a decrease usually means that one can spend more time awake, have difficulty in sleeping and experience much-delayed drowsiness.
Americans watch about 35 hours of television a week. As a parent, are you concerned about how many hours your children spend watching TV? You should be. Studies have shown that kids with TVs in their bedrooms score lower on school tests and report more problems sleeping. Insufficient sleep has been linked to impaired cognition and learning and impaired decision-making and memory. So, perhaps as the best example of a parent, get rid of your television and encourage your kids to do the same. It’s only fair.
Crumbs in bed? Never…
Who hasn’t fantasized about that perfect breakfast in bed? Or who hasn’t eaten room service on the hotel’s bed? Most sleep experts don’t like the idea of eating in bed. Again, this may set up brain expectations that the bedroom is a dining room as well. Not good. And think of the crumbs and what they would do to your bed were there a spill. There’s also a chance of developing heartburn if you lie down too quickly after a meal. Another danger of eating in bed is a health concern – obesity. With obesity in America now declared an epidemic, eating late is generally not healthy, especially if you go right to sleep.
Pets on the bed?
Here in the U.S., we are pet lovers. In a recent survey, Americans owned nearly 70 million dogs and 74 million cats. At least 62 percent of our households have one pet.
Why are we talking about dogs and cats, and what does that have to do with this story? Well, because about half of all dogs, from small to large ones, sleep in bed with their owners. And 75 percent of cats sleep with either their owners or owners’ kids. Here’s the kicker. Thirty percent of pet owners report waking up at least once a night because of their pets. The solution, say some experts, would be to keep the animals off the bed. And if they won’t stay off the bed, the next best thing would be to ban your pets from your bedroom.
Basically, the goal for the bedroom, as it were, is to reserve it solely for sleeping and sex. And the only way you can do that is to program your brain that the bedroom is a relaxing place to sleep and have intimate relations. Unfortunately, with so many portable electronic devices these days, a peaceful bedroom may be next to impossible, without a little discipline. So if you find yourself fatigued in the morning after a full night’s sleep, you may want to take a hard look at what you are allowing into your bedroom at night.