It can be tempting to check your email or social media accounts or watch some TV before you turn in for the evening, but those seemingly harmless actions can make it hard to get a good night’s sleep. Looking at a screen too close to bedtime can make you feel wide awake when it’s time to go to sleep. Your productivity, relationships and overall health can suffer as a result.
Electronic Devices Can Interfere With Sleep
Cellphones, laptops, TVs and other devices emit blue light that mimics daylight. Blue light can interfere with your circadian rhythm, your body’s natural clock that tells it when to go to sleep and when to wake up. Blue light suppresses the production of melatonin, a hormone that helps you fall asleep.
Content You Consume Can Also Impact Sleep
It’s not just blue light that you need to be concerned about. Reading or watching anything that stimulates your mind or triggers intense emotions can make it hard to fall asleep.
If you check your email and see a message from your boss or a coworker, you might immediately feel stressed out. You might begin to think about projects, deadlines, tasks you have to complete, meetings you have to attend, etc. Once your mind starts to focus on work, it can be hard to put those things out of your mind and go to sleep.
Checking social media can also be problematic. You might plan to take a few minutes to see what your family and friends have been up to, then find yourself scrolling for hours. While you’re looking through social media, you might see posts about stressful topics, like war, economic uncertainty or a friend’s medical problem.
Even viewing positive content can interfere with sleep. If you read about something that makes you feel happy, or if you watch a video that makes you laugh, those emotions can make it hard to fall asleep.
Create a Relaxing, Device-Free Bedtime Routine
Changing your evening routine can help you get a good night’s rest so you can handle the challenges of work and life the following day. Researchers are divided on the question of when to put away electronic devices. If you stop looking at screens an hour or two before you go to bed, you’ll likely see the quality of your sleep improve.
If you check work-related emails and social media in the evening, make sure that you engage in relaxing activities afterward. Meditating, journaling, listening to soft music and taking a hot bath can help you unwind.
Keep your phone and other devices out of your bedroom so you won’t be tempted to look at them. Even taking a quick peek at your phone late in the evening can make it difficult to get a good night’s sleep.
