Are you having trouble falling asleep at night? Your cell phone may be to blame. A new study shows that using your mobile phone just before you go to bed can make it harder to get a good night’s sleep. Study participants exposed to the radiation equivalent of a mobile phone took longer to get to the deeper stages of sleep and spent less time in the deepest one than those who were not. This research suggests that if you need to make a phone call in the evening it is much better to use a land line, and don’t have your mobile by your bedside table. The study showed that it may also cut our amount of deep sleep – interfering with the body’s ability to refresh itself. Researcher Professor Bengt Arnetz said: “The study strongly suggests that mobile phone use is associated with specific changes in the areas of the brain responsible for activating and coordinating the stress system.” Another theory is that radiation may disrupt production of the hormone melatonin, which controls the body’s internal rhythms. It was also said that “It is really one small piece in a very large scientific jigsaw. It is a very small effect, one researcher likened it to less than the effect you would see from a cup of coffee.”
