I first discovered a potential issue with overexposure to EMFs (electromagnetic fields) back in 2012 when I was dealing with chronic insomnia. My sleep improved when I moved my cordless phone, alarm clock, and lamp from the shelf at the head of my bed to parts of the room further away. Over the years, I’ve had to adjust how I handle my exposure to EMFs based on how my environment has changed.
In 2012, I really had no idea what was causing my persistent insomnia. It started after a doctor wanted me to stop some supplements I had recently begun taking due to an allergic reaction discovered by a blood test that showed my eosinophils were really high. She wanted me to stay off them until I could be retested, but it didn’t take me long to discover on my own what was the source of the reaction. I just decided to go back on those supplements, trying to find a replacement for the one that had the reactive ingredient. I didn’t tell a huge difference in my sleep, at least not over time. Sleeping well while on vacation but not when back at home raised other questions. I continued to do research and happened upon information about electromagnetic fields and how they affected sleep. Some time after that, I realized while on vacation, I wasn’t surrounded by electronics at the head of my bed. Moving those electronics away from the head of my bed resulted in a greater improvement in my sleep.
When I first started handling electronics at night, I didn’t have wifi. I used a wired setup for my home network. I used my phone line in the beginning but switched to devices that used my home’s cable wiring. My router didn’t have wifi capability. I purchased a wifi router when I got my first smartphone. The router had a button that allowed me to turn off the wifi. I was diligent about cutting it off at night, but there were nights where I had forgotten to do so, and I could tell I felt worse the next day. However, as I dealt with my wheat allergy and other health issues, I could tell less of a difference when I slept with the wifi on versus when I slept with it turned off. Going on vacations, I never seemed to notice much of an issue with the wifi being on constantly. I wondered if it might be due to having more time to sleep longer. At one point, phone line issues that were corrected by a technician seemed to make my wired network setup inoperable. I didn’t think the powerline network setup would be practical, so I decided just to use wifi. At that time I had a DSL modem that was also a wifi router. It didn’t have an easy way to disable the wifi, so I put it into bridge mode so that I could use the router that had the on/off button for the wifi. I decided to take out the wifi router and use the modem/router alone, leaving the wifi on constantly. I thought I was doing fine with it until around a couple of years later, when I noticed I was having a harder time falling asleep. My internet setup had changed again by this point. I had a cable modem with my DSL modem/router being used as the router. I decided to switch out the DSL modem/router for one I purchased that had a wifi on/off button. Once again, I started turning off the wifi at night and could tell that I felt better during the day. I ended up using a powerline kit to connect my laptop and streaming TV device in my bedroom to wired internet so I could play streaming video as I was getting ready for bed at night, after turning off my wifi. I could get to the internet on my laptop during the night when needed as well.
In the fall of 2022, I decided to purchase a security system. I wondered what kind of impact it might have concerning EMFs since many of the systems I saw online used a wireless setup. I consulted with a local security system company who eventually installed a system. They installed a system with cellular backup so I could turn off the wifi at night. My bedroom has two windows, one which is pretty close to the head of my bed. A wireless sensor was installed on that window. I didn’t feel great the next day after sleeping in my bedroom with the sensors in place. After looking around online, I decided to buy an EMF shielding blanket. Before it came, I tried to find a spot on the bed that would put enough distance between my body and the window. Once I received the blanket, I was able to sleep in my usual spot on the bed without any issues. The blanket worked well, but at times I would get hot sleeping under it. Later, I ordered this sheet so that I could still have something to shield me without getting too hot. One other issue I had was with the keypad in my bedroom that the security system provided. It worked on wifi only, so it was useless after I turned off the wifi. Thankfully, the company was able to find a keypad that worked on the cellular connection, so it was usable without the wifi. Fortunately, cellular devices have not been a problem for me as long as they’re placed at least several feet away from where I’m sleeping. The new security system, after fixing some other hiccups, has been working well.
Some people doubt the effects of EMFs on the body. My opinion is that they can have a negative impact if other health issues weaken your body. However, if you’re generally healthy and in good shape, you may be able to deal with EMFs from a wifi router and other sources during sleep. If you find that EMFs affect you, you don’t have to spend a lot of money on EMF shielding products. You may even be able to get by with just moving some electronic devices away from the bed and shutting off the wifi at night. The only reason I had to buy the EMF shielding blanket and sheet was the sensor installed on the bedroom window close to the head of my bed. I only use shielding products during sleep. I’ve never bought or used anything with my computer or smartphone during the day. I pretty much go about my day as anyone who is not worried about EMFs.
Dealing with EMF exposure during sleep has helped me feel better during the day, which helps my body to cope with other issues beyond my control. I’m thankful that this is one issue that I’ve been able to resolve relatively easily, although I have had to make changes over the years. Moving electronics away from the bed, getting a wifi router where I can shut off the wifi easily at night, using EMF shielding blankets in bed, and getting a security system where I can minimize my EMF exposure at night have gone a long way.
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