Smartphones, tablets, e-Readers, and laptops have become a huge part of our daily lives.  We spend many hours in front of backlit LED displays.  Recent studies have shown that people who spent 2 hours, before bedtime, using a device had a dip in melatonin levels.  Melatonin is the darkness hormone which usually kicks in 2 hours before your bedtime.  It prepares your body for sleep. When the eyes are exposed to too much light at the wrong time of day, it interferes with the brain’s regulation of your body clock and affects sleep patterns.  Researchers believe that late night tech use may also have a significant link between sleep loss and weight gain.  If you are awake longer and later, it leaves you more time to snack.  Hormone levels, such as ghrelin and cortisol increase, affecting your appetite and cravings for high-calorie foods.

Here are some ways to help trim your tech fat!

• Avoid using devices at least 90 minutes before you go to bed.

• Adjust the settings on your devices.  Set your screen to a darker setting and reverse the setting on your e-Readers so that there is white text on a black background.

• Avoid screen activity that is too rapid.

Try a tech savvy diet as part of your weight loss routine!