Sleeping with your phone next to your bed might not be the best idea if you want a full night’s rest.Recent studies have shown that one in every five Aussies are being woken up by their phones during the night multiple times every week. While it might seem like little more than an annoyance, the consequences could actually be very serious.Image Credit: ShutterstockOf these adults who were woken up during the night, 23 percent reported a recent car accident or near-collision, compared to just two percent for those who got a full night’s sleep.That means if you’re consistently woken up by your phone during the night, you are ten times more at risk of a road accident.And it’s more than that. These same people also reported an increased likelihood of making mistakes at work, struggling to maintain a conversation and overall lower energy.It’s estimated that sleep deprivation has cost the economy $66.3 billion in 2016-17. The effects of sleep deprivation are huge, dangerous, and widespread.The problem is, responding to a phone notification has become so instinctive and ingrained that drastic steps need to be taken to break that habit.Dr Sarah Appleton, lead researcher at Adelaide Institute of Sleep Health has suggested that completely shutting off your phone, or even moving it to a different room is important to make sure you get a full night’s sleep.Healthy sleep is vitally important to every area of your life. Because of that, it’s important you work out what you need to change to get enough rest at night.If you, or someone you know, has trouble sleeping, then please talk to your GP, and get in touch with us to find out how we may be able to help.Sleep Well – Live Well–Source: https://www.smh.com.au/national/the-frightening-effects-of-the-phone-messages-waking-us-at-night-20191016-p5314z.html This blog post is from Keystone Medical Media, a sub-entity of Keystone Content.