Everyday health
Is using my phone before bed actually bad for sleep?
Yes, but mostly not because of blue light. The larger effect is what the phone contains — messages, work, news and scrolling all raise alertness at the moment you are trying to lower it. Blue light does suppress melatonin somewhat, but a stimulating book would cost you less sleep than a calm phone.
Blue light gets the attention because it is measurable and because filters can be sold. The evidence for screen filters improving sleep is genuinely weak. The evidence that being mentally activated at bedtime delays sleep is not.
What to change if you are not giving up the phone
- Move anything that can deliver bad news — email, work chat, news — out of the last hour
- Scrolling feeds are the worst case, because they have no natural stopping point
- Reading something on a phone is far less disruptive than replying to something
- Keep the phone out of arm's reach, so a 3am wake does not become a 3am session
Still not sure? Call 7696661169 — we would rather explain twice than have you guess once.
People also ask
How can I fall asleep faster without taking medication?
Fix the timing before the technique. Get up at the same time daily, including weekends; get daylight within an hour of waking; stop caffeine by early afternoon; and keep the bedroom dark and below about 26°C. If you are awake more than 20 minutes, get out of bed — lying there teaches your brain that bed is where you worry.
Why do I wake up tired even after 8 hours of sleep?
Because sleep duration and sleep quality are different things. Eight broken hours restore less than six unbroken ones. The usual culprits are an irregular sleep time, alcohol, late heavy meals, a warm room, and untreated snoring. If you snore loudly with pauses in breathing, that needs a sleep study rather than better habits.