So we’ve all heard it before. Turn off the technology before going to bed. But how many of us really put away our iPhones, iPads and just how intrusive is technology on our daily lives?
I spotted a new product this week called a “Bagby” with the headline “World’s first sleeping bag for your smartphone helps couples reconnect.”
Intrigued and a little bit cynical, I looked further.
When you’re in a relationship with your phone.
The product was a small hessian bag for your phone that hangs on your bedroom door, but apparently it had amazing super powers and would remind you to “switch-off” technology and re-connect with your partner.
It’s probably not what I’ll be hanging one on my door anytime soon, but the message did hit home, and the stats that go along with this story are quite alarming:
40% of couples aged 18-55 said they delayed sex with a partner because of using some kind of technology (Durex, 2015).
1 in 3 people said they would rather give up sex for a week than give up their mobile phone (Telenav, 2011).
81% of people said they keep their smart phones with them almost all of the time (Gallup, 2015).
Take a walk down the street, watch the people around you and it’s pretty clear that a large proportion of society (me included) is suffering from a smartphone addiction.
So why do we let our smartphones interfere with our lives so much that the phone even sleeps with us? According to Bagby:
90% of 18-29 year olds sleep with their phone.
99% of people who have their phone near their bed said they use the phone as an alarm.
90% said they put it next to the bed so it charges overnight.
78% said they didn’t want to mount anything to the door/wall for fear of ruining the surface.
Bagby creators say they can overcome all these challenges and, with a little thought, I’m sure you could too even without the bag.
So the real question is…
Are your reasons for being connected 24/7 to your phone really good enough to interrupt sleep, your relationship with your partner and increase your stress?
Do you need a bag on a hook to fix the problem?
This article first appeared on Balance by Deborah Hutton.
