Guest post courtesy of; Kyle Cox CEO of Blindster’s
Blindster: How To Go From Zs to As
According to a recent Sleep in America poll, more than nine in ten high school students are chronically sleep-deprived! Even worse, those extra waking hours aren’t helping them psychologically, physically or academically. Three a.m. may be a great time to party or anxiously count sheep, but research shows that staying up all night to work through a problem just doesn’t work. As Dr. Robert Stickgold, professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, observed recently, “We solve problems while we’re asleep.”
In other words, when your mom told you to “sleep on it”–well, it turns out she was right. Studies have found that your subconscious does most of your thought processing, and it needs a good, deep night’s rest to work its magic.
But we’re sleeping less than ever these days, in large part because there is more light than ever. The “smarter” our lives become, the harder it is to rest. Light pollution–from our constantly active phones, laptops, iPads, Echos and watches, to name a few ubiquitous devices–has exploded. It’s become endemic for tech savvy young people, who’ve been encouraged since birth to be constantly connected.
So while our machines may be getting smarter, their demands may be making us dumber. We now have volumes of research linking evening exposure to the blue light emitted from our devices with a reduction in sleep quality. Why? Blue light disrupts our melatonin levels and interrupts our natural sleep pattern–our innate problem-solving mechanism.
But sleep deprivation is not just a gadget issue. A recent JAMA Psychiatry study of adolescents found that higher levels of outdoor artificial light “were associated with later weeknight bedtimes.” More ominously, the study found that “adolescents in areas with greater levels of nighttime light also had higher prevalence of past-year mood and anxiety disorders.” Lack of quality sleep has also been linked for years to obesity, type-2 diabetes and injuries.
What this means is that we’ve paid far too much attention to when our kids need to be connected and far too little to when they need to be disconnected.
“Lights Out”
It’s time to turn the lights off–all of them. And while taking away your kids’ devices may be next to impossible, here’s a sleep hack that works as well for college students as those living at home: upgrading their blinds. Not only can the right shades help your student solve their thorny academic problems in their sleep, they can foster a more relaxed and productive environment during their waking hours too.
Blindster, the largest retailer of, custom-made window coverings in the country, happens to have a few helpful suggestions–just in time for finals season:
Bamboo Shades
A study published by the National Institutes of Health that involved 18 university students found the participants felt more comfortable, relaxed and natural after contact with wood than with other materials. Bamboo shades are also chic, eco-friendly, available in an array of colors and can be ordered with blackout liners.
Blackouts
Blockout shades do exactly what their name implies: they block out light, ensuring the deepest sleep possible. These vary widely in style, from premium soft-fold roman shades, to cellular shades and super-value cordless singes or roller shades. If that sounds like a lot to choose from, visit their website at blindster.com. Make the perfect choice for your A-lister or Deans-lister, then sleep on it!
Kyle Cox CEO of Blindster’s:
Kyle Cox started the first Custom Window Treatments website in 1999 with no experience in the product, ecommerce, or business ownership. After growing that business to well over $50MM in revenue, he sold the company and it now sits under The Home Depot umbrella. Five years later he ventured back into the industry to fund Blindster, now one of the largest online retailers for custom window treatments. Blindster, a family-owned company out of Houston, offers high quality custom blinds, shades, and shutters with a dedication to outstanding customer service.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
