How Scrolling on Phone in Bed Disrupts Sleep and What to Do About It

It’s no secret that our cell phones have made their way into bed with us. Whether it’s one last scroll through social media apps, checking emails, or falling down a TikTok rabbit hole, bedtime has quietly turned into screen time.

In fact, 86% of Americans admit to using their phones in bed, spending an average of 38 minutes scrolling before finally falling asleep. [1]

Additionally, 58% of Americans regularly scroll through their phone within an hour before bed or while in bed. [2]

But that late-night viewing comes at a cost. The blue light from screens slows melatonin production, the hormone that signals your body it’s time to sleep. This makes it harder to enter sleep and lowers your overall sleep quality.

Add in the addictive pull of endless notifications and dopamine hits, and suddenly your “five more minutes” turns into an hour of lost rest. Viewing social media and stressful news before bed triggers your body's fight-or-flight response, making it harder to relax and ease into sleep.

What is the result? More anxiety, more fatigue, and less real connection with the people who actually matter. Research links bedtime scrolling to disrupted sleep patterns and even higher risks of depression and stress.

A survey found that 25% of Americans have missed a meeting, deadline, or shift at work because of bedtime scrolling. [3]

Below, we’ll break down how browsing before bed disrupts your sleep and mental health, and share simple, practical steps to break the cycle so your nights can finally feel restful again.

How Scrolling on Your Phone Impacts Your Sleep Your cell phone might be the worst bedtime companion you’ve ever had. The bright, blue-tinted light blasting from your screen tells your brain it’s daytime, not downtime—blocking melatonin production and throwing your body’s sleep-wake cycle completely off track.

You lie there, alert and restless, even though you’re exhausted. Women were more likely than men to scroll on their phones at bedtime, with 90% admitting to the habit versus 82% of men. [4]

It doesn’t stop there. Every ping, buzz, and late-night notification jolts your brain back into action, keeping you from slipping into the deep, restorative stages of sleep your body needs. And once you’re awake, good luck falling back asleep, your brain’s already on high alert.

If you want better sleep, cut the late night screen glow. Set clear boundaries for phone usage before bed and silence notifications. Swap scrolling for a calm bedtime routine that tells your body it’s time to sleep, not refresh your feed.

Scrolling Before Bed Can Increase Stress and Disrupt Sleep

Nighttime screen time doesn’t just cut into sleep—it can also raise stress, heighten anxiety, and hurt next-day focus.

Over time, the combo of poor sleep and constant nighttime use of the phone can chip away at your mood, relationships, and productivity.

How the Phone Affects Mental Health

Your phone isn’t just stealing your sleep—it’s draining your focus and peace of mind.

Constant scrolling fuels anxiety, stress, and endless comparison. While digital connection has its perks, too much screen time replaces real conversations and dulls attention.

Reclaim your balance by setting limits, unplugging more often, and remembering—real life happens offline.

Can Create Longer Sleep Onset and Fragmented Rest

If it’s taking you longer than 20 minutes to fall asleep, your phone might be the reason. Scrolling stimulates your brain at a time when it should be winding down.

Consider how much time is spent on your phone that could otherwise be used for rest.

You may technically get seven hours of rest, but your body won’t experience the full restorative benefits of deep or REM sleep.

Increased Stress and Morning Fatigue

Morning grogginess after a full night’s rest? That’s your body trying to recover from overstimulation. Late-night content—especially emotionally charged or anxiety-inducing material—keeps cortisol levels high.

High cortisol disrupts REM sleep, leaving you tired even after “enough” hours in bed.

Over time, this chronic stress response can lead to irritability, poor focus, and mood instability. In fact, a significant percentage of Americans report experiencing these symptoms as a result of late-night phone use.

Scrolling Can Cause Eye Strain and Poor Posture

Scrolling in bed often means awkward sleeping positions—like lying on your side with your phone at eye level.

This posture strains your neck, shoulders, and spine. Combine that with the constant eye adjustment to bright screens in dark rooms, and you’re setting yourself up for headaches and dry eyes.

These physical discomforts can subtly contribute to poor sleep quality and even chronic tension over time.

Sleep Deprivation and Anxiety Loop

Sleep loss increases anxiety, and anxiety leads to more scrolling—a vicious cycle that’s hard to break.

Each night you stay up late feeds into the next day’s exhaustion and emotional instability. With persistence and healthy habits, you can eventually break the cycle and restore restful sleep.

Identifying the Signs of Phone Addiction

You might not call it an “addiction,” but if you reach for your phone out of habit—without intention—it’s a red flag. Take a moment to identify the specific triggers or emotions that prompt your bedtime scrolling.

Some common signs of phon addition include:

• Checking your phone within minutes of waking up in the morning.
• Feeling uneasy when it’s not nearby
• Losing track of time when scrolling
• Prioritizing online interactions over sleep or downtime

Stop Scrolling: Strategies to Improve Quality Sleep

Ready to upgrade your nighttime routine? Here are a few smart, science-backed strategies to help you score deeper, more consistent sleep night after night.

Set a Consistent Bedtime Routine

Your body loves routine, especially when it comes to sleep. Going to bed and waking up at the same time each day helps regulate your internal clock, making it easier to fall asleep (and stay asleep).

A regular sleep routine also helps break the habit of endless late-night scrolling by giving your brain a clear signal that it’s time to shut down.

Make a Sleep-Friendly Environment

Your bedroom should be your calm zone, not your command center. Keep your bedroom cool, dark, and quiet to cue your body for rest.

Items you can purchase include blackout curtains, a cozy pillow setup, and maybe even a white noise machine.

If you sleep hot at night, using a Chilipad bed cooling system or a cooling mattress topper can help you adjust your bed temperature to stay cool and comfortable, improving your sleep.

The more comfortable and distraction-free your space, the faster you’ll drift off, resulting in sleeping through the entire night.

Cut the Caffeine Before Bed

Your 4 p.m. coffee might be doing more damage than you think. Caffeine sticks around in your system for hours, keeping your brain wired long after you’ve logged off for the day.

Even that “just one cup after dinner” can mess with your sleep cycle.

Try swapping your evening caffeinated brew for something caffeine-free—like chamomile tea or decaf rooibos—and let your nervous system wind down naturally before bed.

Relaxing Wind-Down Activities

Swap the endless navigating for something that actually helps your brain chill out, relaxing activities. Creating a calming bedtime routine that is screen-free is crucial for better sleep hygiene.

Read a few pages of a book, do some light stretching, or meditate to ease your mind into rest mode. If silence isn’t your thing, queue up a sleep or sound podcast to help you relax and drift off naturally.

Practicing mindfulness and deep breathing exercises lowers heart rate and prepares the body for sleep. These small, soothing habits calm your nervous system and prep you for deeper, uninterrupted sleep. No notifications required.

Make Your Bedroom a “No Phone Zone”

This one’s tough but absolutely worth the effort. Start slowly, and over time, you’ll get used to it and find it easier to keep your phone out of the bedroom at night.

Charging your phone outside the bedroom keeps temptation (and notifications) out of reach.

No blue light, no buzzing alerts, no mindless exploring—just good sleep. The best place to put your phone during sleep is outside the bedroom entirely. This can include in the living room or kitchen, or at least 3 feet away from your bed on a table.

Try using a gentle alarm clock, the Warm Awake feature from the Chilipad, instead of your loud phone alarm so you can disconnect fully and wake up feeling more refreshed.

Note: Tired of waking up to that blaring alarm? With a few smart tweaks to your routine, you can train your body to [wake up naturally without an alarm]/post/how-to-wake-up-naturally-without-an-alarm-clock).

The Dangers of "Doomscrolling"

We’ve all been there—looking through one grim headline after another, telling ourselves it’s just “staying informed.”

But the addictive nature of doomscrolling does more harm than good. Constantly consuming bad news or disturbing content can crank up anxiety and stress levels, leaving your mind wired when it should be winding down.

Over time, this habit can lower your mood, negatively affect your outlook, and make the world seem more overwhelming than it really is.

That constant feed of negativity doesn’t just affect your mental state—it can also make it harder to fall asleep and stay asleep. When your brain’s busy processing chaos, it’s not exactly ready to sleep.

How can you fix it?

Draw some digital boundaries. Set phone-free times, steer clear of heavy content before bed, and trade the doom loop for something that helps you decompress. Try bedtime journaling, stretching, or listening to one of your favorite sleep podcasts.

Overcoming the Habit of Phone Scrolling

Here are some quick, practical ways to break the habit and take charge of your screen time:

Set Time Limits

If your screen time’s starting to call the shots, it’s time to reset the balance. Use your phone’s built-in settings or a solid third-party app to set realistic daily limits—and actually stick to them.

When that alert pops up, resist the urge to hit “ignore.” With consistency, those limits shift your scrolling from a knee-jerk habit to a conscious choice.

Need a little extra help sticking to the plan? These apps can help you from wasting hours on your device:

• Opal: With Opal, you can lock you out of time-wasting zones like Instagram or TikTok during set hours.
• Jomo: Similar to other apps, Jomo goes further by blocking apps and muting their notifications altogether
• One Sec: This app adds a small pause before opening an app—just enough time to ask yourself, “Do I really need to open this right now?” Explore the app.

These tools handle the tough part for you, making it easier to stay focused and build better digital habits.

Try Healthier Alternatives

Boredom is usually what sends us reaching for our phones, so swap that reflex with something that feeds your brain instead of draining it.

Read a few pages of a book, light exercise such as a walk, lift some weights, or stretch.

The goal isn’t to cut stimulation; it’s about replacing mindless activity with something that actually recharges you.

Designate No-Phone Spaces

Create a few phone-free zones at home. Start with the big ones—the bedroom and the dining table. Those spots are for sleeping and connecting, not for doomscrolling or catching up on late-night notifications.

Charging your phone in another room helps too—out of sight really does mean out of mind.

When phones are off the table, conversations feel more genuine. You’ll find yourself actually engaging with the people in front of you, not the ones on your feed.

Set phone-free times, like during dinner or the first hour after waking up. Make it fun—hang a “No Phones Allowed” sign or give a friendly nudge when someone forgets.

It may seem simple, but considering that roughly 28% to 71% of people admit to using their phones at the dinner table, this small change can have a big impact. [5]

Try Relaxation Practices

When you scroll, it's often a quick fix for stress, but it rarely works. Instead, channel that energy into things that actually calm your nervous system. Try meditation, yoga, or deep breathing exercises to help calm your mind.

Once you find a practice that resonates with you, make it a regular part of your daily routine. These simple activities lower stress hormones, help you unwind, and make your smartphone feel less like a coping mechanism and more like what it should be—a device.

Reach Out for Support

Breaking the habit of mindless scrolling isn’t easy, and you don’t have to do it solo. Let your friends or family know you’re trying to cut back.

They can help keep you accountable (and might even join you). Sometimes just talking about it makes it easier to stay on track.

And if scrolling feels compulsive or starts affecting your mood, it’s okay to ask for help. A therapist can help you unpack the deeper triggers behind your phone usage and give you healthier ways to cope.

There’s no shame in needing support, your future self will thank you.

Final Thought

Your smartphone isn’t the enemy—it’s how you use it that matters. Finding a healthy balance between screen time and real life can make a huge difference in how you sleep, feel, function, and lead to great progress.

Setting boundaries, creating tech-free moments, and swapping endless scrolling for activities that actually help you unwind can go a long way in improving both your mental and physical well-being.

Being mindful of habits like doomscrolling or social isolation helps you spot red flags before they start affecting your mood or sleep. Younger generations are more likely to use their phones before sleep, which can worsen mental wellness. The more intentional you are with your screen time, the more control you regain over your focus and peace of mind.

It’s all about balance. Use your smartphone to connect, create, and learn—but also know when to put it down. A little digital discipline leads to better rest, stronger relationships with your friends and family, and a calmer, more present version of you.