Vamping is a phenomenon that every time it is taking more relevance among people and especially in adolescents. Its name is given to the use of electronic devices or technology (mobile, computer, Tablet, etc.) at night, causing lack of sleep and causing the risk of suffering insomnia.
According to many studies, this sleep disturbance is already affecting from 20% to 40% of children and adolescents. It is believed that its use at night leads to a good rest and the opposite happens, creates insomnia and not getting enough sleep.
Why does the use of technology affect sleep?
All people have an internal clock that regulates our sleep and is called he "circadian rhythm". This clock determines and regulates many of the functions of our body, including when we should be awake or when it arrives. time to rest to fall asleep. That is why we notice when we have the habit of going to sleep and the almost exact time to wake up.
Our body is governed by the hours of the day and even by the amount of light and darkness that the brain receives. If a person lets the electric light be emitted at a time that he does not have to receive it will not secrete the hormone melatonin and it will affect the circadian rhythm to a greater or lesser degree.
The emission of this light it is a "blue light" who develops a bad pattern governed by sleep, delays the onset of sleep and therefore they sleep fewer hours. This light affects melatonin as we have mentioned. In addition, it has been observed that the radiofrequency electromagnetic fields emitted by these devices they also affect brain waves that are related to the tranquility of sleep.
Recommendations for the proper use of technology
It is already a proven fact that in Spain 25% of children up to 10 years old already have a mobile phone and almost 95% of adolescents up to 15 years old. Based on this data it is important to be aware and make good use of electronic devices during the day and especially at night. Here we review some of the recommendations that should be followed:
It is important to tone down the brightness of the light to put it in reading mode or remove that blue light so that it becomes a yellow hue. Any device that contains screens with bright light must have a regulator of its light beam. They usually appear between the settings within the phone, tablet or computer where you can change that tonality to do not hurt the eyes or modify sleep.
This dimming modification it is essential to do it throughout the day or at least two hours before going to bed, But if it can be, it is better to reduce both the mobile phone, tablet, computer or game console hours before going to sleep.
One remedy for being part of the example is for children to observe that parents do not use electronic devicess before sleeping. All electrical appliances must be eliminated from a room so that their waves do not interfere with our sleep. Any of these devices can also be replaced by reading books which help to relax and prompt sleep quickly.
Negative consequences of "Vamping"
The use of devices does not exclusively affect sleep, It has been proven that it goes far beyond other negative effects that can cause in the body due to lack of sleep. The main ailment that it can cause in the long term is tiredness and weakness.
From now on irritability occurs, more sleep disorder, a drop in defenses, poor concentration and alterations in metabolism. As a result of low hours of sleep, the child can expend more calories, create appetite for carbohydrates and lead to weight gain and obesity. If you want to know more about how technology influences the lives of our children, you can read us in "How can it affect your eye health?" or "how to teach children to make good use of new technologies".