Why It Matters
Our environment has changed faster than our biology
For most of human history, sleep happened in darkness, with natural daily light cycles and without wireless devices, artificial lighting, routers, chargers, screens or electrical wiring around the bed.
In the last 100 years, the indoor environment has changed dramatically.
We now spend most of our time indoors, often under artificial light, surrounded by electrical systems and connected devices. Many of these technologies are useful and convenient, but they also create a very different environment from the one our biology developed in.
Using technology more deliberately at night can help create a bedroom environment that better supports sleep.
Light as Biological Information
Light is more than just visibility; it is a nutrient for your circadian clock. Modern life disrupts this rhythm by putting us under artificial light when we should be in darkness.
Natural light changes throughout the day. Morning light, midday brightness, evening warmth and nighttime darkness all provide different information to the brain and body.
This light-dark rhythm helps regulate many processes, including sleep timing, melatonin release, cortisol rhythm, mood, alertness, body temperature, metabolism and hormonal signalling.
Modern indoor life often disrupts this rhythm. We often spend much of the day under artificial light, expose ourselves to bright screens and blue-rich LEDs late in the evening — almost the opposite of the natural pattern.
A healthier light environment starts with restoring a clearer daily pattern:
Bright natural light during the day
Warmer, lower light in the evening
Total darkness during sleep
We are electrical beings
The human body uses electrical signals constantly.
Brain activity is measured with EEG (Electroencephalogram). Heart activity is measured with ECG (Electrocardiogram). Nerves, muscles and cells all depend on electrical communication.
This does not mean that every external field is harmful. But it does mean that the electrical environment around us is not irrelevant.
A precautionary approach asks a simple question:
If certain exposures during sleep are unnecessary and easy to reduce, why not reduce them?
Measurement before assumptions
The goal: practical reduction, not perfection
The process is straightforward:
-
Measure the bedroom environment
-
Identify the main sources
-
Test simple interventions
-
Prioritise changes
-
Keep useful technology where it makes sense
-
Reduce avoidable exposure during sleep
The most obvious device is not always the main source.
For example, a bedroom issue may come from:
-
a charger beside the bed
-
a lamp cable
-
wiring in the wall
-
a router behind the bedroom wall
-
a mesh Wi-Fi repeater
-
a smart watch
-
a baby monitor
-
a nearby electrical panel
-
underfloor heating
-
a neighbouring apartment
Measurements help distinguish relevant sources from those that have little effect at the bed.
Children deserve extra protection
Children are still developing. Their brains, nervous systems and bodies are going through important biological processes, including growth, sleep regulation and myelination (the protective insulation around nerves that supports signalling).
Their bodies are also smaller and contain more water than adult bodies. Since water-rich tissue interacts more strongly with radiofrequency energy, children can absorb electromagnetic fields differently from adults.
This is one reason why I take a more careful approach to children’s bedrooms.
A useful starting point is to review whether Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, phones, tablets, smart watches, baby monitors, chargers or other connected devices need to remain active close to the bed throughout the night.
Sources that serve no purpose during sleep can often be moved, switched off or reconfigured with little inconvenience.
A precautionary approach
Researchers including Robert O. Becker drew attention to the role of electrical signals in biological processes such as healing and regeneration from the 1970s onward.
Research into artificial light, electrical environments and electromagnetic exposure continues, and many questions remain debated.
A practical precautionary approach can still be based on several well-established considerations:
-
sleep is important for health and recovery
-
the bedroom environment influences sleep
-
children are still developing
-
nighttime exposure should be intentional
-
many unnecessary sources can be reduced easily
The bedroom is the best place to start
The bedroom matters because sleep is when the body repairs, regulates, and recovers. It is the place where we spend many hours in the same position, often close to walls, sockets, lamps, chargers, phones, wearables and wireless devices.
Understanding what is present around the bed makes it easier to decide which changes are worthwhile.
References
[1] Blume, C., Garbazza, C., & Spitschan, M. “Effects of light on human circadian rhythms, sleep and mood.” Somnologie, 2019.
A peer-reviewed review discussing how light influences circadian rhythms, sleep and mood.
[2] Keshvari, J., Keshvari, R., & Lang, S. “The effect of increase in dielectric values on specific absorption rate.” Physics in Medicine and Biology, 2006.
A dosimetry study showing that higher water content can affect dielectric values and RF energy absorption.
[3] Malik, S. J. et al. “Evaluation of specific absorption rate and heating in children exposed to electromagnetic fields above 6 GHz.” Frontiers in Public Health, 2022.
A study discussing SAR and heating in children and the importance of appropriate tissue properties in exposure modelling.
[4] Becker, R. O. “Electrical stimulation of partial limb regeneration in mammals.” Bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine, 1972.
A historical peer-reviewed paper from Robert O. Becker on electrical stimulation and regeneration research.
[5] Leppik, L. P. et al. “Effects of electrical stimulation on rat limb regeneration, a new look at an old model.” Scientific Reports, 2015.
A modern experimental paper exploring low-voltage DC electrical stimulation and tissue regeneration in an animal model.