So, how can you limit the effects of screen time on sleep? Here are some tips to consider.
1. Decompress With Screens Outside of the Bedroom
Depending on what you’re doing on your phone, it may not be super disruptive to your sleep if you enjoy a little screen time before bed — as long as it’s outside of your bedroom, Hale says.
Make your bedroom a sanctuary for sleep, not an environment for screens. “Save that behavioral cue of the bedroom as being a special and sacred place for sleep that’s separated from the rest of the day,” recommends Sullivan.
2. Set a ‘Put the Phone Down’ Alarm
Sullivan says that it may take some trial and error to determine how long it takes you to disengage and quiet down your brain. Once you’ve figured out how much time you need to unwind, she suggests setting two reminders for yourself: First, set an alarm that’s a 10-minute warning, meaning you have 10 minutes of screen time left to get to a good stopping point in your current episode or to finish that email, she says. Then, set a second alarm for 10 minutes later, the time when you actually need to power down.
3. Find Other Relaxing Habits to Implement Before Bed
4. Don’t Rely on Blue Light–Blocking Technology Alone
Marketing claims look to convince eager consumers that blue light–blocking glasses or shifting the brightness or color of your screens make it okay to stay up late on your devices. “This is a bit of a false pretense, because it’s actually really important to start to separate oneself from the stresses and demands of the day to prepare for sleep,” Sullivan says.
“My message as a parent and a researcher is it’s not enough just to block the light, because it’s really what you’re doing on the phone and the timing of when you’re on the phone that gets in the way of sleep,” says Hale.
5. If You Must Bring Your Phone in the Bedroom, Silence All Notifications
Resisting the urge to check your phone either before bedtime or in the middle of the night takes some firm boundary-setting, especially if you’re still bringing your phone into your bedroom. Hale recommends making a deal with yourself like, “I can have it next to me, but I don’t check it until X a.m.”
If you use your phone in bed to listen to music, a meditation app, or a calming podcast to help you fall asleep, make sure it won’t disturb you once you drift off. Enable settings to turn off the audio after a specific time or when an episode or chapter ends, so that it doesn’t wake you up later, advises Sullivan. She also recommends placing your phone face down, so any light emitted will be less disruptive.
The same rules apply if you use your phone as an alarm. There’s nothing inherently wrong with doing so, as long as you don’t check your phone in the middle of the night, Sullivan says. Still, the safest option may be to invest in an old-school clock radio or alarm clock, so that you’re not even remotely tempted, she adds.
