Not Always Intimate, Beware Of Sleep Call Effects That Can Hazard Your Health

Illustration of sleep call women. (Photo: Freepik)

JAKARTA - The phenomenon of sleep calls, namely the habit of calling until falling asleep with your partner, is now widely loved, especially among young people. At first glance, it looks romantic, giving a feeling of closeness even though it is separated. But behind it there is a health impact that is rarely realized.

Sleeping while sleeping means the phone stays near your face or ears all night. Apparently, this can interfere with sleep quality.

According to a study from Khan & Al-Jahdali in 2023, the use of cell phones ahead of sleep has proven to make it more difficult for a person to sleep and tends to sleep shorter and not soundly. According to research, stopping using a phone 30 minutes before sleep can improve the quality and duration of sleep significantly.

Mobile screen light also interferes with the rhythm of sirkadian, the body's biological clock that regulates sleep cycles and wakes up. Normally, the darkness stimulates the production of the melatonin hormone which makes you sleepy. But exposure to light from the phone screen during sleep calls can delay drowsiness so that the body has difficulty entering the sleep phase well.

In addition to sleep disturbances, sleep calls also have physical risks. Placing the phone under a pillow or too close to the body can make the lithium battery overheated. Although the case is rare, this condition has the potential to cause the phone to catch fire.

Cell phones do emit radiation, but in the form of radiofrequency which is much lower than dangerous radiation such as X-rays. To date, research has not found strong evidence of malicious cell phone radiation. Even so, researchers are still continuing to study to ascertain its long-term effects.

On the other hand, sleep calls can also lead to emotional dependencies. Being too used to sleeping with your partner's voice can make it difficult for a person to sleep without these calls. As a result, the quality of sleep depends on the relationship situation, which is not always stable.

How To Reduce Risk

That doesn't mean sleep calls should be completely banned, but it's worth limiting this habit. Here are some steps you can try.

- Limit the duration of sleep calls, for example only 1530 minutes before you actually sleep.

- Put the phone on the side table, not on the pillow or near the face.

- Get used to the routine before bed without a screen, such as reading books or listening to music.