A few reasons why the villain in your sleep might be your smartphone or other screen devices, and how it negatively affects your health and teeth.
Are you like most people, after your nightly routine of brushing, flossing, and face washing, you crawl into bed and say to yourself, with your smartphone in your hand, “I will only scroll Instagram or TikTok (or whatever social media you prefer) for a few minutes, then I’m going to sleep!” Next thing you know, it’s 1:56 am! How’d that happen? So you promise yourself you won’t do that tomorrow, put the smartphone down somewhere close to your head, and finally try to go to sleep.
You need that smartphone close in case of an emergency, right? While it may feel harmless, it’s been proven to be harmful for your health and your teeth in many ways. Let’s talk about the chaos this bad habit can cause.
Stress + Screens = The Late Night Shredder (Teeth Grinding)
Whether you are doom-scrolling or watching funny “cat” videos, your brain is overstimulated by all the flashing lights and videos before bed. Your brain needs time to decompress and fall into sleep normally; otherwise, it’s like a revving engine that never gets shut down. This tension can show up in your clenched jaw and other areas.
Dentists and sleep experts see many strong connections between:
- Late-night screen use (smartphones, iPads, laptops, TVs)
- Pre-sleep worry
- And teeth grinding (bruxism)
Once you fall into this trap of late-night grinding (which you have no idea you’re doing), the chain reaction of problems starts:
- Waking up with headaches and a sore jaw
- Enamel wear and tear (which your dentist will notice on your next visit)
- Overly sensitive teeth
- Worn-down teeth
- Teeth pain or cracked teeth
This leads to the ultimate realization that you should’ve put the phone down. Congrats! You’ve used your own mouth and teeth as a late-night shredder!!
Your Smartphone (TV, laptop, iPad) is Turning You into a Zombie
The light from your screen of choice is simply the same thing as a triple espresso shot to your brain. It’s saying to your body, “Hey friend, stay awake! We’re busy doing important things!” Even when it’s way past your normal sleep time.
The light from these devices disrupts your circadian rhythms, suppresses melatonin, and makes it way harder to fall asleep when you need to. Poor sleep leads to all kinds of problems, such as bad moods, depression, higher stress, snoring, anxiety, midnight snacking, and teeth grinding.
Nothing says happy, relaxing bedtime like clenching your teeth into nothing while your brain is overprocessing some story or comment you watched on your Instagram reel.
Germ Superhighway
Have you heard about the study that said cell phones have more bacteria on them than toilet seats? Most phones are filthy dirty. Many of you speak into that phone, only inches away from your mouth, or literally have it resting on your ear/cheek. Some of you sleep with it on or under your pillow!
So now your nightly routine includes:
- Bacteria that can be transferred from your hands, mouth, or pillow
- Airborne bacteria are shedding off your phone
- All of which can cause a higher risk of sickness, skin irritations, and even breakouts
While this type of bacteria won’t directly affect your teeth, guess what it can do? Get into tiny cuts or abrasions inside your mouth caused by – you guessed it – teeth grinding!
It could be the perfect bacteria storm setting off your next health crisis.
Is Your Sleep Quality Going Through a Breakup?
When you do finally put the smartphone down for the night, having it close by and within reach to make it easy to “just check your email or texts” when you wake up in the middle of the night is too irresistible for many people.
Or you forgot to silence your smart device or turn it off, so notifications wake you up. Now Instagram is sending a notification that someone liked a post you made last year, or your calendar is reminding you that you have an early meeting tomorrow morning (now only a few hours away). So you open it up, and suddenly you are sucked right back in to all your stressful problems or the latest never-ending drama on some app. Your brain is wide awake. Trying to get back to sleep again may take hours (or not at all for that night). The result? You are now sleep deprived, grumpy, moody, have a weakened immunity, and the list goes on!
How Do You Fix This Screen Problem?
Don’t throw your phone across the room. That’s a whole different stress for you now if it breaks. But you can try these options:
- Put your cellphone or other devices across the room or in another room. Turn off the TV.
- Use a real alarm clock (not your phone)
- Turn off the sound on your smart devices or put in Do Not Disturb mode
- Make a point to turn off all screen devices at least 30 minutes, preferably 60 minutes, before sleep time
Some of your stress will lessen, your teeth grinding may improve, and hopefully, you will no longer wake up feeling exhausted.
Final Thoughts
Smart devices keep us entertained, connected, and occasionally confused (why does autotext constantly change the word “for” into “doe” or is that a me problem?) Anyway, to have a happier life, better sleep, less stress, and happy teeth, smart devices do not belong in or near the bed. So tonight, when you tuck yourself in, tuck your phone somewhere else! Your teeth and brain will thank you.
What if the sleep/stress issue is caused by someone else?
If you or someone you share a room with has a snoring, sleep apnea, or grinding problem, we can help with that.