Could your Mobile Phone be Causing Melatonin Madness?
Do I even need to ask how often you’re dealing with your cell phone? For better or worse, most of us spend our daily lives in close and constant contact with our phones. You’ve probably given some thought to how all that scrolling is affecting your attention span, focus, and mood. I hope you’ve also given thought to how the stimulation and the light emitted from cell phone use at night can interfere with your sleep.
A lot of people have questions about how electromagnetic fields (EMFs), or radiation, from cell phones affect health. And there are important questions about how EMF exposure from cell phones might impact our sleep patterns and sleep quality, over the short and long term.
Today I want to talk about a new study from a group of French scientists who examined the existing research on how EMF, or radiation, exposure from mobile phones affects the sleep-facilitating, circadian-rhythm regulating hormone melatonin, and another hormone critical to sleep wake cycles, cortisol.
What is EMF exposure?
Before we jump into the study results, let’s take a quick look at what EMF exposure is, and where it comes from. Exposure to electric and magnetic fields of energy, or EMFs, is part of our daily lives. EMFs are created by waves of energy, both natural and man-made. The sun emits EMFs, in the form of UV rays. The advent of electricity and its widespread use more than a century ago launched a dramatic change in the presence of EMFs in our daily environments. In there’s been ongoing question—and scientific investigation—into how EMF exposure may impact human health.
There are two main types of EMF, or radiation, exposure:
High-level radiation. This form of EMF exposure comes from our natural environment, primarily through the sun’s UV rays. It’s also the form of radiation that is used to perform some types of medical imaging, including x-rays and CT scans.
Low-level radiation. This form of EMF exposure comes from a whole array of electric sources that are part of modern life, from power lines, electrical wiring and airport scanners to microwaves and computers.
Cell phones and other wireless technology (such as wifi routers) also emit low level radiation, in the form of radio frequencies.
How does radiofrequency EMF exposure affect health and sleep?
Right now, the evidence is mixed on whether, how, and how much radiofrequency (RF) EMF exposure affects health in general, and sleep in particular.
Scientific research has not demonstrated conclusive evidence that RF EMF exposure is a cause of adverse or long-term health effects in humans. But there is evidence that this man-made EMF exposure has effects on our bodies and may affect our functioning, including our sleep.
A significant body of research has examined how RF EMF exposure affects brain activity. Research has shown that RF EMF emissions alter sleeping brain activity, increasing the frequency of brain waves during non-REM sleep after nighttime cell phone exposure. Some research has shown alterations to sleep architecture—the repeating cycles of sleep stages we experience throughout the course of a night. Some research has shown these EMFs can affect the amount of time spent in slow-wave sleep. Other research has shown that RF EMF exposure from cell phones may alter the amount of time spent in REM sleep.
There are also studies that show no significant changes to sleep architecture from RF EMF exposure.
Much of this research shows there is a high degree of individual variability in the brain’s response to RF EMF exposure. That means individuals may respond very differently to the same level of RF EMF exposure. There is a segment of the population—research estimates it at between 1.5-13%–who consider themselves to be EMF sensitive, with symptoms that include headache, dizziness, tinnitus, trouble concentrating, fatigue, and difficulty sleeping.
Here’s the messy truth: the evidence that science has accumulated so far about changes to sleep-related brain activity from RF EMF exposure does not paint a clear picture about how these emissions from cell phones impact short- and long-term sleep patterns and sleep quality.
What are the effects of cell phone radiation on melatonin?
In this new study, French scientists examined the body of research on how RF EMF exposure from cell phones affects the sleep hormone melatonin, and the stress and arousal hormone cortisol. Why these two hormones in particular? Both melatonin and cortisol are major players in our circadian system, with key roles in the functioning of our immune system, in cell health, and in other biological processes in the body. Both melatonin and cortisol play pivotal roles in regulating our daily sleep-wake cycles.
Melatonin is an important regulator of our daily circadian sleep-wake rhythm, and the nighttime rise in melatonin levels (prompted by exposure to darkness) is critical to facilitating the onset of sleep.
Cortisol also works to maintain daily sleep-wake cycles. Most of us know cortisol best as a stress hormone. Healthy levels of cortisol are important for launching alertness and arousal at the beginning of the waking day. Cortisol levels peak in the early morning (between 6-8 a.m.), when melatonin levels have dropped to their lowest levels of the day.
Broadly speaking, when melatonin levels are high, cortisol levels are low—and vice versa. These two hormones work to keep us in regular phases of rest and activity on a daily basis.
They also do a lot more than that! You can read more about the broad benefits of melatonin for health here, and here’s where to learn more about the role of cortisol in sleep and the difference between healthy cortisol and the chronic elevated cortisol that’s linked to health problems.
This new study examined research in both animals and humans, on the effects of cell phone radiation on melatonin and cortisol.
The big takeaway? Like much of the science on the effects of RF EMF exposure on sleep, this comprehensive analysis found that the results are mixed, without conclusive answers about how cell phone radiation exposure affects melatonin and cortisol.
It’s frustrating, I know—and it speaks to the ongoing challenge facing scientists and the general public, regarding clear answers about how cell phone radiation exposure impacts sleep and health.
That said, within these mixed findings are some key details worth highlighting.
- Older studies in animals of the impact of melatonin from RF EMF exposure show no changes to the production of the sleep hormone. Several of the more recent studies, however, show decreases in melatonin production after cell phone radiation exposure. (Among the small group of studies in humans, 1 out of 7 showed a decrease in melatonin linked to RF EMF exposure.)
This suggests that as techniques for conducting these types of studies have improved, scientists are better able to measure the impact of RF EMF exposure on melatonin—and they are finding evidence of a negative impact. That’s a real red flag, and a strong indicator that we need more research to confirm and better understand this potential negative effect on melatonin.
- Several of the studies showed that melatonin may offer some protection against some of the negative effects of RF EMF exposure, including protecting cells and DNA against damage, and providing protection to the brain and other organ systems, including the liver, kidneys, and skin.
That’s a big deal, and another important reason to pay close attention to the consistency of your sleep, and the protection of your body’s ability to produce melatonin. The number one way you can do that? Limiting your nighttime light exposure. Read more about how light at night disrupts melatonin, and what you can do about it.
- Studies of the effects of RF EMF exposure on cortisol revealed conflicting results. Most animal studies showed increases to cortisol levels after RF EMF exposure. But as the study authors point out, the stress response from animals at being handled during the study procedure could be a reason for their spike in cortisol. Studies in humans don’t show consistent changes to cortisol levels from cell phone exposure. But there aren’t very many of them, some are quite small, and there are potential issues with the study procedures that may have limited researchers’ ability to draw the clearest possible results from their investigation.
What does all this mean? There is much more work to be done in this area of research. We need a clear understanding of how cell phone exposure impacts the production and function of these important hormones, in order to protect our health and our sleep.
In the meantime, what can we do to guard against unhealthful RF EMF exposure?
The first thing to do is NOT to panic—there is no reason to. Awareness of these questions is important, which is why I’m sharing this information with you. The best steps you can take to protect sleep and your general health from any potential disruptions from cell phone exposure is to use your awareness of the issue to make thoughtful choices for yourself and your family.
Reduce your exposure by keeping reasonable distance and limits. When you’re not using your cell phone, put it down, rather than carrying it on your body all the time. That will not only help reduce RF EMF exposure, but also help you from slipping into a state of constant, semi-engagement with your phone—which isn’t good for your sleep or your attention and focus.
Use the speaker function on your phone, or wired earbuds. Another important way to put a little distance between you and your cell phone when you’re talking or listening to music or podcasts. Wireless earbuds—the kind that use Bluetooth technology– emit lower levels of radiation than cell phones, but they do still generate EMF exposure.
Keep your phone out of your bedroom at night. This is an important component of sleep hygiene. Having your phone at your bedside increases the chances you’ll stay up scrolling past bedtime, soak up unhealthful, sleep-suppressing light at the exact time when you need to be minimizing light as part of your transition to sleep. You’ll also avoid any chance of being awakened by the buzz of alerts or messages popping up in the middle of the night. Now there’s another good reason to put your phone to bed somewhere other than your bedroom. Dedicate a place in your home for your phone to rest and charge at night , while you rest and re-charge.
Take a deep breath, and unplug. Sleep, stress, and mental health all benefit when we spend some time disconnected from our hyper-connected digital world—and it’s a way to reduce your RF EMF exposure every day. Be mindful of your cell phone habits, and make unplugged time a part of your daily routine, particularly in the evenings as you get closer to bedtime.
I’ll be keeping a close eye on this issue and will keep you informed as we—I hope—learn more.
Sweet Dreams,
Michael J. Breus, PhD, DABSM
The Sleep Doctor
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