Screen time before bed could be less harmful than earlier thought

Doomscrolling in bed can ruin a good night of sleep — right?

Maybe not, according to recent research that says tech-before-bed may not be as detrimental to slumber as previously thought.

Researchers suggest that sensitivity to blue light and digital stimulation varies from person to person. For some, screen use might even assist sleep while for others reading an old-fashioned analog book is enough to keep them up.

Shelby Harris, a clinical psychologist specializing in behavioral sleep medicine, said to the Wall Street Journal, “It is becoming more evident that the tech in and of itself isn’t always the problem. We need to figure out how to tailor the recommendations to the person.”

Blue light gets a bad rap

The thinking that blue light equals bad sleep is based heavily upon a 2010 study that suggested the bright light from screens at night could delay the circadian rhythm.

Yet recent research seems to counter these findings. One study, published in the National Sleep Foundation’s journal, Sleep Health, investigated iPhone use in young adults before bed and found no significant differences in sleep outcomes regardless of whether subjects used a phone with a less-blue display, a normal display or no phone at all.

Several studies have suggested blue light emissions suppress the production of the sleep-promoting hormone, melatonin. But researchers now say these effects are not as extreme as previously believed, amounting to, at most, a 10-minute delay due to screen use.

Unswayed, the folks at the National Sleep Foundation still advise, “Your bed at bedtime should be a screen-free zone.” They suggest turning off the lights on your devices at least an hour before hitting the hay.

While there is no one-size-fits-all all approach to better slumber, it is possible to tailor your habits for optimal sleep. To find what works best for you, experts like Harris recommend a few strategies.

Set it and stick to it

Top among these strategies is setting, and sticking to, a bedtime alarm. Establishing a firm cutoff time for tech is a safeguard against habits like doomscrolling, which can impair memory, information retention and mental health.

Airplane mode on

Sleep experts also suggest turning off notifications on your phone before you sleep to eliminate disruption or the anticipation of it. This recommendation is echoed by this influencer who says turning her phone to airplane mode at night helps her sleep and has been a true boon to her mental health.

Keep the content soft

Those who struggle with sleep don’t necessarily have to cut out their screen time entirely but Harris suggests they limit their nighttime intake to passive content that requires no interaction and very little anticipation — a TV show rerun for example.

Let the sunshine shine

While the jury is still out on the exact effects of blue light exposure on sleep, regular exposure to sunlight early and throughout the day is proven to regulate circadian sleep cycles.

To get a better hold of your sleep personality, Harris recommends keeping track of your sleep habits with a weekly journal. That means logging your tech use and how you slept that night — and how you felt the morning after.