For anyone who doubts the control their smartphone actually has over their daily and nightly habits needs to read this article from Psychology Today!

 
The average American spends 4.7 hours PER DAY on their smartphone! Add that to and 8 hour a day job, the time it takes to commute, eat and perform any other mandatory tasks required to live a normal life and that doesn’t leave much time for sleeping!

Sleep deprivation is getting to be an epidemic in America and the consequences are extreme. Late-night smartphone use has effectively been linked to depression, anxiety, reduced cognitive function and physical coordination. In other words – we are not our best and brightest during the day because of our obsession with cellphone use at night.

Because of our constant need to be connected, our minds are continually stimulated – and not always in a good way! While it is never too late in the day or night to receive happy news from friends and family, it is also never too late to get a good scathing from your boss or adversary either. Since only 17 percent of us shut off or silence our cellphones at night, we leave ourselves open to for business 24/7.

Sleep is not a luxury, it is a biological necessity in order to function properly and we are all – adults and adolescents alike, depriving ourselves of it.

Read the article and take the challenge – unplug yourself from the world for 24 hours. After the initial withdrawal symptoms have subsided, I am willing to bet that you will enjoy the peaceful serenity – and a good night’s sleep!

Perhaps the world would be a little nicer if we all just took the day off and got a good night’s sleep!