Looking at the bright, blue-tinted light of screens can negatively impact sleep quality3 by suppressing the production of melatonin—the “hormone of darkness” that signals bedtime.
Since we hold cellphones so close to our faces, they can be even more stimulating than other devices. “Even though the amount of light coming out of [phones] isn’t huge, it’s all going right into our eyes,” Michael Grandner, Ph.D., the director of the Sleep and Health Research Program at the University of Arizona, previously told mindbodygreen. Not to mention, phones are tiny portals to distressing news, urgent emails, and other triggers that can raise our stress levels before bed.
What to do instead: Aim to turn off your phone and other electronics at least an hour before you want to be asleep in the new year. Setting a recurring “bedtime alarm” might help you adopt this new habit. Replace scrolling with journaling, reading a book that isn’t too stimulating, or writing down your to-do’s for the next day (a sleep psychologist-approved ritual!).
Emma Loewe
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