Using smartphone to surf Facebook before going to bed can cause cancer

Research has shown that using smartphones before bed can cause a lack of melatonin, a chemical that helps us feel sleepy. A lack of melatonin has also been linked to a higher risk of breast, ovarian, and prostate cancer.

It’s a very common habit for most people these days. Who doesn’t send a few messages, or check Facebook one last time before going to sleep at night?

This habit may seem harmless, but in fact, using smartphones, tablets or any electronic devices before going to bed can cause long-term harm to your health.

A new report published by GigaOm has shown that the artificial light emitted from smartphone screens can disrupt your sleep cycle and your health.

It has long been known that blue light affects the way your body produces melatonin, a chemical in your body that helps you feel sleepy.

Just a few months ago, the American Chemical Society posted a video explaining that exposure to blue light at night tricks your body into thinking it's morning, and it messes with your circadian rhythm, making it harder to fall asleep.

But melatonin does more than just help us sleep—it also helps slow the growth of cancer cells and other diseases. GigaOm’s report delves into why using devices like smartphones, laptops, tablets, and TVs before bed can be terrible for your health. Here are some of the key takeaways:

- It can damage your eyes. Ophthalmologists say high levels of stress on the retina in young people can lead to disorders such as macular degeneration. In extreme cases, this can lead to blindness. This exposure can also cause retinal toxicity.

- A lack of melatonin may make you more susceptible to various diseases. According to the US National Library of Medicine, a lack of melatonin is linked to a higher risk of breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and prostate cancer.

- It can also make you feel sad and moody. Exposure to artificial light is known to affect people's moods. Meanwhile, low melatonin levels in mice have been linked to higher rates of depression.

Why is a lack of melatonin so important? Melatonin affects your circadian rhythm because it helps you fall asleep, and changes in your circadian rhythm are linked to many other significant changes in your body. Your circadian rhythm is your body clock, which regulates when you feel sleepy and when you feel awake throughout the day.

In 2012, Harvard Medical School conducted a study. Ten participants gradually shifted their work schedules to the evening, allowing their circadian rhythms to slowly adapt and change. During that time, their blood sugar levels increased, putting them in a pre-diabetic state, and their leptin levels also decreased. Leptin is the chemical that makes you feel full after eating.

According to Business Insider