Screen time before bed: How tech affects sleep habits

Learn how tech affects your sleep habits.

If you indulge in some screen time before bed, you're not alone. People of all ages typically spend their evening in front of a screen — whether a TV, smartphone, e-reader or other technology — to unwind from the day. And while this practice has become the norm, screen time may be preventing you from getting the sleep you need.

Why getting enough sleep matters

Sleep is crucial in every stage of life, playing a vital role in physical health and mental well-being. How you feel when you're awake is directly related to the quality of sleep you get during the night. During sleep, the body works to support healthy brain function and maintain physical health. Sleep is particularly necessary for children and teens' growth and development.

Getting consistently inadequate sleep over time can raise your risk for chronic health conditions such as obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes and stroke. It can also affect your relationships and how well you think, react, work and learn. Poor sleep can impact your heart and circulatory system, metabolism, respiratory system, immune system and more.

How much sleep is enough?

Adults between 18 and 64 need seven to nine hours of sleep each night. After age 65, adults need about seven to eight hours.

Children need significantly more sleep than adults. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that school-aged children (6 to 12 years) get nine to 12 hours of sleep a night and teens (13 to 17 years) get between eight and 10 hours.

Daily screen time has risen in recent years among tweens, teens and adults. On average, children in the United States spend four to six hours a day watching or using screens. Teens spend up to nine hours while adults average around seven.

How does screen time before bed affect sleep?

Screen time before bed — and throughout the day — may be the reason many people aren't getting enough sleep. As daily screen time has increased, more adults and children report getting less than the recommended amount of sleep per night.

Blue light has become a buzzword in recent years, getting attention for how it may affect sleep patterns. Science shows that blue light suppresses the body’s ability to make melatonin, the hormone that helps regulate sleep. As a result, exposure to blue light can make you feel more awake and interrupt your circadian rhythm — your natural sleep-wake cycle.

Sunlight is about 25% blue light and can be a good natural alarm clock. Other sources of blue light are fluorescent and LED lights, smartphones, e-readers, televisions, laptops and all other screens.

Studies show that blue light before bed may have negative effects, such as trouble falling asleep and poor sleep quality. Even if you turn down the brightness of a screen, set it to dark mode or use a blue light filter, screens can still keep you awake for other reasons. Experts have theories about why this may be, including:

• Stimulating content. Using tech to read a book, watch a show, play a game, answer email before bed or work late involves cognitive function. These activities stimulate your brain and keep you from falling asleep.
• Disruptive alerts. If you keep your phone in your room — especially next to your bed — without silencing notifications, the sounds, vibrations and light can disrupt your sleep.
• Daytime screen use. It's not just screen time before bed that can affect sleep. The National Sleep Foundation has found that screen time throughout the day has an effect on sleep quality, especially for children and teens.

How to practice good sleep hygiene

Establishing good sleep habits can help you get the rest you need. Creating a healthy sleep routine varies from person to person, but it might mean replacing screen time with other activities, investing in more comfortable bedding or using aroma therapy or a white-noise machine to prep for a restful night.

Here are some tips:

• Remove tech from the bedroom. Tech can disrupt sleep for people of all ages, especially children. This includes televisions, laptops, tablets and phones. Even charging tech in the bedroom can impact sleep. Set up a charging area in another room — or at least out of your reach — while you sleep to prevent distractions that could wake you up.
• Dim the lights. Light of any kind signals the brain to stay awake. Artificial light can be especially disruptive to sleep. By dimming lights as bedtime approaches and turning them off completely when it's time for sleep, you reduce light exposure. This can help you wind down, fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer.
• Be intentional. Different activities affect sleep more than others. Are you doom-scrolling? Playing an addictive video game? Watching an unsettling show or movie? Being intentional with your time — for example, choosing to journal, meditate or take a bath rather than mindlessly scrolling on your phone — can help you regulate screen time and make less-stimulating choices before falling asleep.

Whether you want to cut down on screen time before bed or help your children create healthier bedtime routines, understanding technology's effect on your physical and mental health can help you make better choices and get more quality sleep.