Smartphones before bed

This is what happens to your brain and body when you check your phone before bed.

Do you get into bed each night and take one (or more) last check of your phone? Turns out staring at screens at night is not doing us any favours.

Downside of screens before bed

In the video below, Dr Dan Sigel, clinical professor of psychiatry at the UCLA School of Medicine, tells Business Insider Australia about the negative effects the screen is having on our body and brain when we are glued to it at bedtime.

• Screen light tells you it's not bedtime and not to secrete melatonin.
• Active neurons and glial cells don't function properly to support the nervous system and destroy pathogens.

What happens if you’re not getting enough sleep:

• Your attention falters
• Your memory is impaired
• Your ability to think through problems is challenged
• You’re more likely to gain weight

YOUR BEST SLEEP YET: Top expert-backed tips

Glossary:

Photons - electromagnetic energy that occurs as quantity of light

Melatonin - a hormone produced by the pineal gland that influences sleep-wake cycles

Glial cells - cells that support connective tissue function in the nervous system

FIND OUT: How much sleep you really need