Doctors are warning that e-book readers can have a negative impact on sleep specifically and health generally.
Researchers at Harvard Medical School examined the sleep cycles of people who used light-emitting e-readers and compared them to those of people who read books before going to sleep. They found that those using the light-emitting e-readers had more difficulty in falling asleep and did not feel as rested the next day.
Lead researcher Professor Charles Czeisler, the study's lead researcher, explained to BBC News, "The light emitted by most e-readers is shining directly into the eyes of the reader, whereas from a printed book or the original Kindle, the reader is only exposed to reflected light from the pages of the book."
He added, "The melatonin suppression that we saw in this study among participants when they were reading from the light-emitting e-reader concerns us."
For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com
Health News
May 15, 2026 15:25 ET Apart from the confirmation of Kevin Warsh as the next Fed chair, the main news on the economics front this week included key price data from the U.S. and the first quarter economic growth figures from major economies. Both consumer prices and producer costs have started to reflect the effect of supply shocks due to the Middle East conflict. In Europe, GDP data was in focus, while inflation data from China dominated the news flow in Asia.