EMFs and Everyday Exposure: Managing Invisible Stressors
Originally sent on 14 September 2025
This week I’ve been thinking about invisible forces. The ones we can’t see, touch or taste. I’m talking about EMFs — electromagnetic fields. The Wi‑Fi waves, Bluetooth signals and mobile phone radiation we live in every day. We don’t see the waves, but our bodies notice them. So what are EMFs and why should we care? Let’s dive in…
DATA — Where insight becomes impact
What I’ve been looking at this week…
Here’s what current studies are telling us about hidden EMFs:
Cancer risk: The World Health Organisation still classifies EMFs as “possibly carcinogenic.” That’s not proof of harm, but it’s a red flag worth respecting and trying to minimise avoidable exposure, especially with cancer rates rising globally.
Sleep disruption: A 2024 crossover trial exposed people to EMFs from an active baby monitor vs. an inactive device for seven nights. The result? A measurable delay in melatonin release and reduced deep sleep, along with changes in brain‑wave activity during the night. In practice, that could mean you’re losing 20–30 minutes of your most restorative sleep if your monitor or router is right next to you.
Brain fog & cognition: Smaller studies have shown changes in reaction times and attention spans with higher EMF exposure. Not headline‑grabbing disease, but not exactly helping your productivity and focus either.
Bottom line: EMFs may not be the next apocalypse, but cumulative exposure can nudge your biology in directions you don’t want.
DEVICES — Track it to hack it
What I’ve been monitoring this week…
When I first bought an EMF meter to measure EMFs at home, it lit up, beeped, numbers flashed… and I thought: “What does that mean? Now what?” To make sense of it you need to know that there are three types of EMFs most metres measure:
EF (Electric fields) — measured in volts per metre. Think of these as the invisible “pressure” from wiring and sockets, even when things are on standby.
MF (Magnetic fields) — measured in microtesla or milligauss. These come from the flow of current in chargers, transformers and motors. They drop quickly with distance.
RF (Radiofrequency) — measured in milliwatts per square metre or volts per metre. This is the Wi‑Fi, 4G/5G, Bluetooth band — the signals that carry our data.
Benchmarks (rule of thumb):
EF: below 5 V/m = low, above 10 V/m = high.
MF: below 0.3 µT (3 mG) = low, above 1 µT (10 mG) = high.
RF: no universal “safe” threshold, but aim to keep levels in the hundreds, not thousands, of µW/m² where you spend hours.
Practical metre fun: wandering around your house, checking your bedroom — if RF spikes near your pillow, move the router or switch it off at night. Baby monitors are classic culprits: 30 cm away = red zone, 1 m away = calm zone. Kitchens are hotspots for MF: microwaves, induction hobs, fridges. The fix? Don’t watch your food microwave or you might just be microwaving your brain at the same time! Use distance as your shield.
DECISIONS — From knowing to doing
What this means for you…
You don’t need to move your bed into the garden to reduce exposure! Here are three easy shifts to start with:
Put Wi‑Fi to bed when you go to bed. Most routers have a time setting – use it.
Phones on airplane mode. Alarm still works and stops you doomscrolling at 2 a.m.
Increase distance. Even a metre matters. Move chargers, monitors, routers away from your head and bed.
Do these make a measurable difference? Yes. Studies show even small reductions in RF exposure can improve melatonin rhythm and sleep quality. At the very least, you’ll sleep better knowing you’ve reduced a possible carcinogen where it counts most: your bedroom.
Case in point:
One of my clients woke groggy most mornings, even after eight hours sleep. We discovered his router was directly under the bed. He moved it two rooms away, added a timer and within two weeks his Oura showed a 25 % increase in deep sleep.
The 5 questions I get asked most about EMFs:
Are AirPods and wireless headphones frying my brain? Not frying — but they do emit RF right against your head. Power levels are lower than phones, but proximity matters. Use wired headphones when you can, take breaks, don’t keep buds in your ears when you're not using them and don’t sleep with buds in.
What about EMFs and my Fitbit, Oura, or Apple Watch? Yes, they use Bluetooth (and sometimes Wi‑Fi/GPS), which means constant low‑level exposure. The power is tiny, but the duration is long. Practical tweaks: switch Bluetooth off at night or use airplane mode. (Oura in airplane mode still records data.)
Should I buy an EMF meter? If you’re curious, yes. It’s eye‑opening to “see” the invisible. But don’t panic if it flashes red. Use it where it matters most — bedroom and office, where you spend most of your time. Spot hotspots, then make simple changes: move the router, shift the baby monitor, unplug chargers at night.
Do EMF protection gadgets — stickers, pouches, pendants — actually work? Most don’t. Some might. Independent testing often shows little to no reduction in exposure. Some even risk making things worse: if a phone is in a pouch or case that blocks signal, it may ramp up its power output to stay connected, increasing your exposure. The best way to know if a protection device reduces emissions is to test it with your EMF meter. Use shielding fabrics with clear lab test data. If an EMF protection device company won’t show you independent measurements, that’s your red flag.
What about fertility — laptops on laps, phones in pockets, devices near the bump? This one matters. For men, studies consistently link prolonged EMF exposure near the testes with reduced sperm motility, DNA damage and lower counts. Heat from laptops adds an extra hit. For women, the research is younger but growing: EMFs may increase oxidative stress in eggs, disrupt ovarian hormones, and some studies show higher miscarriage risk with greater magnetic field exposure during pregnancy. Practical swaps: keep phones out of trouser pockets, don’t use laptops directly on your lap, abdomen or thighs for long stretches. For women also, don’t store phones in bras, and in pregnancy minimise carrying phones against your bump or sleeping next to Wi‑Fi routers. Small changes could mean big protection for future fertility.
DIARY — Where you’ll find me…
Last week: My podcast interview with Christine McGuinness was released — we dived into hot and cold therapy (saunas, cryo and ice baths) and how she’s using them to build resilience. Such an interesting conversation.
This week: I’m speaking at The Adina Event, exploring how true beauty begins inside and radiates out. I’m excited to share how beauty begins in your biology.
Next week: I’ll be at the SIP Family Office Global Health Conference, a unique space where health and wealth come together. So energising to be part of these conversations.
DISTINCTION — A thought to pause on…
“Resilience isn’t about completely avoiding electromagnetic waves — it’s about being the one in control of your exposure.” Wishing you a wonderful week ahead (that's 168 hours of your million hour life)!