Sleep with your phone under your pillow? Maybe you should reconsider…

These days, we take our phones everywhere. From texting and emails to paying bills and making calls, our phones are a constant companion. It’s easy to see why many of us check our phones first thing in the morning to catch up on notifications that arrived overnight.

However, you might want to think twice about keeping your phone too close when you sleep. Here’s why.

1. It can affect your health due to radiation

Mobile phones emit radiation from their transmission signals, often around 900MHz. Keeping a phone near your head for long periods can cause headaches, muscle pains, and other health problems. Even though it’s convenient to keep your phone close while sleeping, it’s smarter to be cautious.

2. It can interfere with sleep

LED screens on phones, tablets, TVs, and other devices emit blue light, which studies suggest can disrupt sleep. Blue light may reduce the production of melatonin, a hormone that helps us sleep, and mess with our natural sleep cycles. It’s thought that blue light tricks our brains into thinking it’s daytime.

3. It could cause a fire hazard

Sleeping with your phone under your pillow can be dangerous. There have been reports of phones causing pillows to catch fire. For instance, in July 2014, a teenager in Texas woke up to the smell of something burning – her phone had scorched her sheets and mattress because she had it under her pillow.

To stay safe, put your phone on airplane mode or turn it off entirely while you sleep. Phones emit electromagnetic radiation whenever they’re on, so it’s best to minimize exposure.