Sleep Problems in Children: Are Electromagnetic Fields to Blame?

Why and How Can EMF Cause Sleep Problems in Children?

It interferes with our melatonin

Melatonin is a powerful anti-oxidant that comes out to work at nighttime. It’s integral to the repair and rejuvenation of our body, mopping up damaging cells known as ‘free radicals’.

It’s universally accepted that free radicals are the main mechanism by which cancer forms in the body and even disease in general. Melatonin, five times more powerful an antioxidant than Vitamin C and twice as powerful as vitamin E, is a wonder drug. It is the best natural anti-cancer agent we’ve got and we make it all by ourselves, provided we don’t interfere with its signalling process.

This is where EMF comes in and screws things up.

Why does EMF radiation disturb sleep?

Melatonin is released by the pineal gland in the brain at nighttime. Light sensitive, it waits for a signal from the eye to tell it light has disappeared and it’s time to go to work repairing our body.

The problem is, the signal to repair gets screwed up when there’s light around and so the brain keeps waiting for that signal that it’s dark outside. The problem is the brain cannot tell the difference between man-made EMF and light.

Have you ever taken a look at the electromagnetic field spectrum? It doesn’t just include visible light, we just pay more attention to this because we can see it. Our eyes and our brain though can still sense the rest of the EMF spectrum, that is, the ‘invisible light’ we get from radio waves, microwaves, UV rays etc.

There are many studies (human, animal and laboratory) that link man-made EMF with melatonin suppression. The result is poor quality sleep which can include delayed entrance into a deep sleep and reduced time spent in certain sleep stages. For a child, this can impact learning and memory and may lead to ADHD. Poor sleep also hinders the brain’s ability to eliminate toxicants that build up during the day.

If you live close to a mobile phone tower, leave routers on at night, charge mobile phones by your bed or sleep close to a meter box or smart meter you are screwing up the brain’s signalling process. You are suppressing melatonin and hindering your body’s ability to heal and rejuvenate.

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Melatonin: the greatest anti-cancer agent known to man

Over 12,000 studies have been conducted on melatonin. We know that low melatonin levels are linked to a very long list of health issues: immune dysfunction and disease, heart complications, arthritis, depression and suicide, miscarriage, sudden infant death syndrome, schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease and of course sleep disturbance.

We also know that night shift work is classified as a ‘Class 2A Probable Carcinogen’ by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. Night shift workers have a 50% increased risk of breast cancer. In fact, studies show that a woman with breast cancer has on average one-tenth the melatonin levels of a woman without cancer. Similarly, men with prostate cancer and children with Autism Spectrum Disorder have less than half the melatonin of those not affected.

EMF: a possible human carcinogen

In 2011, wireless radiation was classified as a ‘Possible Human Carcinogen’ by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) of the World Health Organisation (WHO). This was based on credible evidence that linked long-term wireless exposure to brain cancer. Much earlier in 2002 they also categorised extremely low-frequency EMF in the same category.

What actions can you take?

The good news is there are many steps you can take to eliminate or significantly reduce man-made EMF and in doing so, like me, you may well find your children’s sleep problems literally disappear overnight.

The most critical place to reduce exposure, of course, is the bedroom.

Here are some tips to get you started:

1. Turn off your router at night.
2. Don’t use wireless baby monitors or wireless devices in the bedroom.
3. Never sleep close to a meter box or a smart meter.
4. Don’t use digital clock radios.
5. Replace cordless telephones with corded phones.
6. Don’t charge phones or tablets beside your bed.
7. Keep your phone on airplane mode in the bedroom.
8. Get an EMF expert to assess your home.

I haven’t spoken about the health implications of artificial light from screens on children’s sleep, which is part and parcel of the wireless generation. Read more about that in this blog.

As you can see, EMF radiation can certainly be the cause of sleep problems in children. If you’re experiencing this issue in your family, taking the above steps to reduce EMF in the home, particularly overnight, could be the answer you’re looking for.

After all, ensuring a healthy sleep is one of the most powerful steps you can take to prevent illness and protect your family’s health and wellbeing.

If the topic of EMF has you interested in understanding more, you can read this post and this one for more information. 

DOWNLOAD: 3 IN 1 EMF BUNDLE – KICKSTARTER GUIDE, DEFINITIONS, ACTION STEPS

References

http://www.neilcherry.nz/documents/90_b1_EMR_Reduces_Melatonin_in_Animals_and_People.pdf
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23482083?dopt=Abstract
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22724534
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18044740
http://www.helbredssikker-telekommunikation.dk/sites/default/files/The%20Effects%20of%20884%20MHz%20GSM%20Wireless%20Communication%20Signals%20on%20Self-reported%20Symptoms%20and%20Sleep%20An%20Experimental%20Provocation%20Study_0.pdf
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17716273
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23051584?fbclid=IwAR34AqD88apUf11QhDYMR97ksu7s-AN0y6R5aJeGZuPTXVPr2RelSq71a-w
http://www.iarc.fr/en/media-centre/pr/2011/pdfs/pr208_E.pdf
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5098132/
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/mobile-phone-radiation-wrecks-your-sleep-771262.html