Screen time, blue lights, TV, video, social media and more …we hear that they can negatively impact sleep, but is that right? What is it about “screen time” that is bad for you?
In this blog, Dr Lindsay Browning answers 5 frequently asked questions all about screen time and the use of technology at bed time.
What is the effect of screen time on our sleep?
The effect of screens on our sleep depends on how you use them and what you use them for.
Previously, it has been largely publicised that bright blue frequency light from screens had a highly detrimental impact on sleep, affecting melatonin production and shifting circadian rhythm. Therefore, people were advised not to use screens at all before bed. However, this advice doesn’t take into account some of the subtleties of using screens before bed, and the generic advice to simply not use them an hour or two before sleep is actually not that scientifically valid.
A 2024 meta analysis found that using screens before bedtime only delayed sleep-onset by around 1 to 9 minutes, which is relatively negligible.
Although, using screens close to bedtime to do stressful work or to watch upsetting or distressing content (such as the news) may make falling asleep harder, because it increases stress levels, using screens for a more relaxing purpose may actually be helpful.
For example, watching something entertaining on TV, before bed, could be a good way for people to wind down and distract them from negative thoughts.
Is watching TV, scrolling or playing games at bedtime a bad thing?
Watching TV (or using other technology/staring at screens) after your intended bedtime may have a greater impact on melatonin production, due to the prolonged and excessive exposure to bright blue frequency light after the time that you wanted to be asleep.
Also, gaming or scrolling long past your bedtime, has a significantly negative impact on sleep, especially when apps like social media or computer games can be so addictive that you simply forget to go to bed.
Lastly, using screens in bed may be disruptive for sleep as your brain starts to associate the bed with being awake. Therefore, it’s always better to watch videos or be on your phone somewhere other than bed, and keep the bed as a place just for sleep and sex only.
If I need to look at screens shortly before bed, what’s your advice?
Ideally, watch TV or videos outside of the bedroom (or at least not in the bed itself). This avoids associating bed with awake activities.
Also, even though the bright blue light from devices before bed may not be as catastrophic for sleep as previously thought, it still isn’t ideal. Therefore, enabling night-mode on your devices in the evening, which reduces the brightness of screens and shifts the frequency of light away from the blue spectrum, is a good idea to reduce any potential impact.
However, it is important to emphasise again that screens should not be used beyond the intended bedtime as that is likely to significantly impact sleep.
How can I stop the scroll to ensure I get enough sleep?
If you are someone who finds it hard to stop scrolling, and may accidentally keep watching videos or consuming online content long past your intended bedtime, you may want to try putting your phone down 30 minutes to an hour before bed to avoid that happening.
You can set a downtime on your phone or set a reminder to help you achieve this.
If you do want to watch screens before bed, choose something pleasant and entertaining, rather than distressing or overly stimulating content, which can make you feel too alert to fall asleep.
What are good alternatives to screen time?
As a sleep expert working with people with insomnia, I have seen how the demonisation of blue light and screens before bed in the media has been unhelpful for some of my clients. For some people, watching TV before bed might actually be helpful as part of a wind down routine to help people switch off from a stressful or busy day.
If you are struggling to fall asleep, getting out of bed and doing something intentional would be much better than reaching for your phone and scrolling in bed. Reading or watching an episode of a pleasant TV show might reduce your anxiety slightly and increase your sleep hunger.
Alternatively, do consider more traditional wind down routines, such as taking a bath, reading or listening to calming music.
Technology is not all bad…but do use your screen time wisely
In summary, using technology and watching anything with a screen before bed is not inherently bad. It is how you use it and when that matters.
Even I admit that watching TV or videos before bed may be helpful for some people.
However, using technology after the intended bedtime can have a significant effect on disrupting sleep – both due to the bright light and also the addictive nature of technology, so be mindful of what you are watching, how often and for how long.