If you have a problem with insomnia, you may be surprised to learn that your cell phone could be the reason.
Studies have shown that electromagnetic radiation inhibits the production of one of our hormones called melatonin. Melatonin is the hormone that regulates our sleep cycle. You’ve probably seen it at the health food store in tablet form. It is secreted by the pineal gland in the brain and is produced about 90 minutes after falling asleep. Therefore, melatonin levels increase at night, when it is dark, and remain low during the day, when it is light. (This is why you should sleep in as dark a room as possible) Melatonin is useful and necessary for many reasons but the most common is to regulate the sleep cycle. When cell phone radiation, or other forms of electromagnetic radiation, inhibits the body’s ability to produce this important hormone, the sleep cycle is compromised. Could this be one of the reasons so many people today have insomnia? Is the multitude of sleep problems in America today the result of all the electromagnetic radiation in our environment from cell phones and wireless technology? Maybe.
What types of objects produce electromagnetic radiation? Anything that uses electricity in any way, corded or battery powered. Cell phones, computer monitors, microwave ovens, TV screens, vacuum cleaners, hair dryers, electric clocks (keep one by your bed… not good if you have one), video games, blenders, etc. You get the picture. And don’t forget all the wireless technology…like WiFi, wireless Internet access, GPS devices, etc. All of them also produce harmful radiation.
Why is it important to have good quality sleep? If you don’t go into the deepest phases of sleep, your body can’t repair itself. The repair process occurs at night while the body is at rest. This is when the cells rejuvenate. This repair process only occurs in the deepest phases of sleep, so good quality sleep is vital to our health. Did you know that 81% of young people between the ages of 15 and 20 sleep with their cell phones on? Considering the value of melatonin to our health, the implications of this statistic are frightening. Both for a matter of sleep and for the proximity of the mobile to the brain of these young people. And don’t let your child sleep with the cell phone on at night. Turn it off. They will live the night without him.
As further evidence, a study published in the British Medical Journal The Lancet in December 2007 found that a woman’s risk of breast cancer increased by 60% if she worked the night shift. The risk of prostate cancer in men also increased. Why did this happened? Light raises cortisol levels. Cortisol is a hormone produced by the adrenal gland that is activated by light. Light further inhibits melatonin production by the pineal gland in the brain. So the combination of an increase in cortisol, which suppresses our immune system, and a decrease in melatonin, which suppresses tumor development, leads to favorable conditions for the possible development of cancer.
And this is also very important. Melatonin regulates estrogen. So when melatonin is not produced in adequate amounts, estrogen suppression is removed. And as stated above, estrogen is a risk factor for the development of breast cancer. This may be even more important than the sleep problem.
What should you do? Pay attention to all the things around you that produce electromagnetic radiation. Your cell phone is the most common. Reduce your risk of exposure as much as possible. Do not allow young children to use wireless devices and limit your children’s time on a cell phone. Radiation penetrates much deeper into a young person’s head because the skull bones are softer and thinner. Limit your own exposure as well.
Research this topic. Find out all you can about cell phone radiation and wireless technology. In my opinion, it is the biggest health threat we face today.