Bengt Arnetz, M.D.

DETROIT – A joint study involving Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit, Michigan and researchers in Sweden has found that cell phone usage for a substantial period of three hours or more immediately prior to bedtime disrupts sleep patterns.

Director of Occupational and Environmental Medicine and Professor of Family Medicine at Wayne State’s School of Medicine, Bengt Arnetz, M.D., worked with a team of researchers at the Karolinska Institute and Uppsala University in Sweden on the study which found that radiofrequency wave energy released from mobile phones appeared to lead to or enhance insomnia, headaches and difficulties in concentration.

During an 18 month period, the researchers studied 35 men and 36 women between the ages of 18 and 45. According to Dr. Arnetz who resides in Birmingham, Michigan, all participants were compared in a control or experimental group and either were exposed to radiofrequency of 884 MHz wireless signals or just sham (no exposure to radiofrequency at all). All 71 participants were exposed to both conditions at different times.

Dr. Arnetz spoke to BBC News, said, "The ones who were exposed reported headaches, it took longer for them to fall asleep and they did not sleep as well through the night.”

“If you have trouble sleeping, you should think about not talking on a mobile phone right before you go to bed. The study strongly suggests that mobile phone use is associated with specific changes in the areas of the brain responsible for activating and coordinating the stress system," said Dr. Arnetz.

“Inadequate sleep or non-restful sleep can be related to many chronic health conditions including hypertension, obesity and diabetes,” commented Dr. Joseph Dunbar, associate vice president for Research at Wayne State. “Dr. Arnetz’s international collaboration may also be a key to a growing number of health problems people encounter, particularly in teenagers whose cell phone usage is high, and sleep is so critical for peak performance in school and other activities,” he added.

Wayne State University is one of the nation’s pre-eminent public research universities in an urban setting. Through its multidisciplinary approach to research and education, and its ongoing collaboration with government, industry and other institutions, the university seeks to enhance economic growth and improve the quality of life in the city of Detroit, state of Michigan and throughout the world.