Claims that mobiles can 'severely disrupt' sleep

The study by the Electromagnetic Academy based at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, showed that exposure to mobile phones as people prepared to go to sleep affected initial "light" phases of sleep, and that exposure while sleeping produced headaches.

However, the Mobile Manufacturers Forum (MMF), which funded the study, appeared to distance itself from the findings. It said individual studies needed to be "seen in light of the total research effort into mobile phone safety."

"When you take a step back and look at the weight of scientific evidence, as several independent organisations such as the World Health Organisation (WHO) have done, the only conclusion you could draw is that there is no scientific reason for concern about the safety of mobile phones," said a MMF spokesperson.

The MMF was also keen to stress that the research claims had been made in a conference abstract, and had not yet been published in a scientific journal.