Reading on screen and Sleep

On a cold but bright November morning I sit in the main room enjoying a warm cup of tea. On the opposite side of Commercial Street workmen in high visibility vests are busy erecting scaffolding. Inside the library, there is a sense of quiet even though various members are sat in the Main Room reading books and newspapers.

After picking up The New Statesman on the magazine display shelf, I start to read an article by Dan Hancox about ‘Why We Are All Losing Sleep’. In the article, Hancox refers to Reed Hastings the CEO of the film and television streaming service Netflix and his view of the competition in the marketplace. Hastings asserts that Netflix is not competing with Amazon for streaming services; instead Neflix is competing with sleep. The article goes on to say that the hours we sleep each night is considered to be highly lucrative commercial territory. As encouraging us to sleep less allows more time for consuming products and services. It is interesting to read about sleep in November, when it becomes dark after 4pm in the evening. For during these long dark evenings we seem to need more sleep than the longer days of summer. 

Walking over to the science and psychology section in the main room, I come across Matthew Walker’s book, Why We Sleep: The New Science of Sleep and Dreams (2017). Walker identifies some key factors that impact upon our ability to get a good night’s sleep including electric lights and LED’s (Light Emitting Devices), caffeine and alcohol. Walker has conducted studies on using iPad tablet devices in the late evening and found that they suppressed melatonin significantly and this could be linked to insomnia.

I enjoy reading paper-based books rather than reading on screen. For me, the weight and solidity of a book, the turning of the pages is enjoyable. I wonder what other members of The Library think about ebooks, or reading on screen and insomnia.