Health and sleep experts often say that one of the best ways to get a good night in bed to to make sure you don't use your phone - or other screens - for a couple of hours before you try to drop off. The light emitted by phone and tablet screens especially interferes with your body's circadian rhythm - essentially tricking your brain into thinking it is still daylight and disrupting the process of preparing for sleep. At the same time, social media platforms are designed to keep you scrolling - so if you lie in bed at night looking at your phone you could be stuck for hours.
Journalist Jenna Campbell says she often falls for it, sometimes lying in bed at 2am scrolling through her phone when she should be asleep. Writing for MEN , she said: "I have not only lost precious hours of sleep but feel totally wired. At some point I succumb to sleep, but wake up feeling groggy, irritable and disappointed in myself.
Summer was meant to be about putting my health first and, whilst I’ve managed to cut out alcohol and exercise more, some of my unhealthier habits endure." A recent YouGov Sleep Study found 87% of people in the UK say they look at their phone or tablet within an hour before going to bed. According to the National Sleep Foundation, the blue light from our smartphones suppresses melatonin production - a crucial hormone that helps regulate sleep.
The advice is to stop screen-related activities at least an hour before you go to bed to give your brain a chance to wind down and .