Dear Doctor,

Does leaving my radio to play all night while I am in bed pose any health threat? Gatete

Dear Gatete,

Sleeping with the radio on is not a very good idea. Radiation waves, however small, are emitted from a radio set as well. Some studies have shown greater prevalence of leukemia (kind of blood cancer) in children and brain tumors in adults living close to radio transmission towers. However this is not established with certainty and researchers say there may be other factors contributing to the cancer. Stiffening of various body tissues, food pipe, lungs, e.t.c. and even sterility is known to be due to exposure to radiation.

Moreover, if the radio plays all night, you may fall asleep due to being exhausted and or the body being conditioned to that sound. But in reality your brain does not rest. It is constantly stimulated by the sound. This may not make you feel as fresh as expected after a good night’s sleep. It can cause vague headache and sense of fatigue. The ears are also potentially exposed to low dose noise pollution constantly. This can affect equilibrium causing giddiness(as balancing system of body is located within ear) and also affect sharpness of hearing over a period of time.