![]() “It’s an opportunity cost when you're on your screen,” said Hale, who is also chair of the board at the National Sleep Foundation. Put simply, excessive phone or technology use, no matter the time of day, promotes a sedentary lifestyle, which the World Health Organization has called “one of the more serious yet insufficiently addressed public health problems of our time.” (This was back in 2002 before personal devices with screens became more accessible!)Īnd it’s not just the fact that screentime means you are moving less spending too much time on your phone can take the place of other more important things in life, sleep included. Why too much time on your phone can be bad for your health Constantly checking your phone may give you a sense of control, but often at the expense of more anxiety, depression, and disrupted sleep. It also may be hard to stop scrolling at night during dark times like a pandemic, climate change-related disasters, or war. One group of researchers blames FOMO, or the “ fear of missing out,” on this nocturnal obsession with social media at night. “A challenge is that the part of our brain that reinforces behaviors is stimulated by novelty social media scrolling always promises something new with the next scroll.” Michael Jaffee, director of the Neurology Sleep Clinic at the University of Florida. And most of us would, given a choice, choose the path of least resistance.”Īll this mental stimulation ultimately “prevents us from winding down and preparing to transition to sleep,” according to Dr. “You know, the real world is harder than the fake world. The content is usually amusing or entertaining in a way that doesn't make you want to stop,” said Lauren Hale, a professor of family, population, and preventive medicine at Stony Brook University in New York. “Social media platforms make it very conducive to continuing your engagement, and of course, that's by design to keep you watching. On some phones, you can’t even see the time of day onscreen when using an app, so it’s easy to keep scrolling without noticing the time ticking by, sort of like how casinos are designed without clocks or windows to keep people gambling until the wee hours. It’s a common problem - up to 53% of young adults do it. ![]() Whether it’s social media, doomscrolling the news, streaming shows, or chatting with friends and family, your phone offers a million tempting reasons to procrastinate when it comes to sleep.īedtime procrastination is basically going to bed later than you intended, despite having absolutely no good reason to stay up late. But in general, if you feel like you are spending too much time on your phone to the detriment of a good night’s sleep or your mental health, there are a few reasons to stop - and some technological features you can use to more easily break the habit. ![]() That’s not to say that using your phone at night will cause these health issues. A lack of adequate sleep can have an impact on your emotional well-being and in the long term is linked to a higher risk of health problems, like high blood pressure, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes. It’s a particularly worrisome trend in this digital age given that more than 70 million people in the US already have chronic sleep problems. ![]() It’s so wrong, but it feels so right - even though you know you’ll be a more cranky, sleep-deprived version of yourself in the morning. You snuggle in bed after a long day at work, school, or taking care of kiddos and decide to surf through social media “for just five minutes.” Flash-forward 30 minutes - or even hours! - later and you’re still scrolling. ![]()
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