We all know that blue light before bed is probably damaging to your sleep, but did you know that what it actually does is upsets your circadian rhythms? Not only that but blue light exposure also suppresses the secretion of melatonin, the hormone that regulates sleep. However, did you know that there is something that can do the opposite? It’s very simple and you should probably do it more often. Put down your phone and pick up a book. It doesn’t even have to be for a long time, just 15 or 20 minutes could do the trick. Reading before bed instead of blasting your eyes with blue light has many benefits including better sleep, better concentration, and reduced stress. In general, reading can be a relaxing pastime that results in increased creativity, brain power, and many other benefits for your well-being. 

Being students, we usually go to bed late and wake up early which doesn’t leave a lot of time for a good night’s sleep. Using blue light devices right up until you go to bed doesn’t help either. Pennridge High School senior Grace Levy has an extensive, relaxing bedtime routine during the week but on weekends she stays up later and uses her phone right up until she goes to sleep which she says “makes me feel groggy and it takes me longer to get started in the morning.” College freshman Jake Horan said something similar in that “I don’t feel as well rested.” These past few months I myself have been having trouble sleeping and I thought it may be attributed to my blue light device usage right up until I was ready to go to sleep. Being the skeptic and avid phone user I am, I was suspicious that reading before bed would affect me. So, I tried the oldest trick in the book and put this method to the test. I turned in my phone for a book one hour before I usually went to bed for five days, and the results may surprise you. 

Monday night I started my challenge and turned my phone off and headed up to bed at 10:00 p.m in order to give myself a proper hour to read. I turned on my reading light, picked up a classic, Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, and got cozy in my bed. As it turns out I didn’t need the full hour since I was already drained after a long day of zooms. My eyelids got heavy after just 15 minutes and I quickly fell asleep. Much to my disappointment, Tuesday morning I didn’t feel any different than I usually would. Tuesday night I did the same thing and went up to bed at 10:00 p.m., however, I decided to change it up and read A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin. Again, this night within 15 minutes my eyelids started to get heavy and the words blurred so I went to sleep. Wednesday morning, to my surprise, I felt much more productive than usual despite still feeling a bit drowsy. Wednesday night I continued my routine and again read A Game of Thrones, however it took me around 40 minutes to feel ready to go to sleep. Thursday morning I again felt very productive and awake despite waking up earlier than usual. Thursday night I did the same thing as last night and within 10 to 15 minutes I went to sleep. Contrary to the past two days, Friday morning I felt as sleepy and unmotivated as before I started my new routine. Friday night, my last official night of this challenge, I had already felt exhausted and once again went to sleep within 15 minutes. Saturday morning I felt great and well rested which could be credited to being able to sleep in. 

Throughout this challenge I found myself going to bed earlier and feeling more relaxed than usual. I also felt more productive and less stressed overall. Obviously you can’t judge a book by its cover because reading before bed instead of getting stuck in the infinite scroll on my phone had many benefits and I plan to continue this nightly routine. Don’t lose sleep over this anymore and consider giving this a try, what’s the worst that could happen!