In today’s hyperconnected world, many of us have formed a nightly ritual: scrolling through social media, watching videos, or catching up on the news right before bed. But mounting evidence suggests that this habit might be doing more harm than good when it comes to sleep.
A new study out of Norway has shed fresh light on how using screens in bed could be significantly increasing the risk of insomnia and cutting down on precious sleep time.
A Closer Look at the Impact of Screens on Sleep
Researchers from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health conducted an extensive survey involving over 45,000 young adults between the ages of 18 and 28. Participants were asked to detail their screen habits after going to bed, including how long they typically spent using their devices and what types of content they engaged with. Activities ranged from social media browsing and watching shows to gaming, listening to audio, and internet surfing.
Alongside their screen use habits, participants reported on various aspects of their sleep patterns — such as bedtime, wake-up time, how long it took them to fall asleep, and how frequently they experienced trouble sleeping or daytime sleepiness.
For the purposes of the study, insomnia was defined as having sleep difficulties and experiencing fatigue or sleepiness during the day at least three times a week for a period of three months or longer.
The findings painted a clear and concerning picture: more time spent on screens in bed correlated directly with poorer sleep outcomes. An additional hour of screen time after bedtime raised the likelihood of developing insomnia by a striking 59%, while also shaving an average of 24 minutes off total nightly sleep.
It’s Not Just Social Media — All Screen Time Counts
Interestingly, while many experts have long speculated that interactive or emotionally charged activities like social media might have a stronger effect on sleep than passive ones such as watching a TV show, this study found otherwise.
“We were particularly interested in whether social media — because of its interactive and potentially emotionally stimulating nature — would have a stronger association with poor sleep outcomes than other screen activities,” explained study author Børge Sivertsen, PhD, a senior researcher at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health in Bergen.
“Surprisingly, we found that it’s the overall screen time in bed that matters most, not the type of activity,” he added.
This suggests that it isn’t necessarily what you’re doing on your device that affects your sleep, but simply the fact that you’re engaging with screens at all during those crucial pre-sleep hours.
Expert Insight: Why Screens Disrupt Sleep
Sleep specialists have long cautioned against bedtime screen use, and this study adds further evidence to support those recommendations.
According to Vishesh Kapur, MD, MPH, director of sleep medicine at the University of Washington in Seattle, who was not involved in the study, screen use before bed can mentally stimulate people at a time when they should be winding down.
“Screen time at bedtime activates the mind,” said Dr. Kapur. “If the individual is consuming content that is very interesting, they may delay going to sleep, or if the content is disturbing or anxiety-inducing, this could make it hard to fall asleep.”
In addition to the mental stimulation, the physical effects of screen exposure also play a role. Devices like smartphones and tablets emit blue light, a type of light known to suppress the production of melatonin — the hormone responsible for signaling to the body that it’s time to sleep.
“Blue light from screens suppresses melatonin production, a hormone essential for initiating sleep,” explained Nitun Verma, MD, a sleep physician and spokesperson for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.
Practical Tips to Curb the Bedtime Screen Habit
If putting down your phone at night feels easier said than done, experts offer some practical advice to gradually reduce bedtime screen use and improve sleep quality.
Dr. Verma recommends the following:
- Avoid screens 30 to 60 minutes before bedtime to allow your brain and body to wind down naturally.
- Dim your screen’s brightness and, if you must use devices, activate features like Night Shift or Blue Light Filter modes that reduce the disruptive blue light.
- Switch your phone to Do Not Disturb mode in the evenings to silence notifications and reduce distractions.
- Replace screen time with calming, offline activities such as reading a physical book, doing light stretches, or practicing deep breathing exercises.
- Consider using a traditional alarm clock instead of relying on your phone’s alarm feature to remove the temptation of late-night scrolling.
Small Changes, Big Sleep Benefits
Even modest adjustments to nighttime screen habits can have a meaningful impact on sleep health. “Our study shows that even small reductions [in screen time] could improve sleep quality and duration,” said Sivertsen. “It’s not about quitting screens entirely — it’s about being mindful of how and when we use them, especially at night.”
As research continues to highlight the delicate relationship between technology use and sleep, the message is clear: our phones and devices may offer endless entertainment, but our brains and bodies still need time to disconnect, especially when it’s time to rest.