By Shea Smith
“Just five more minutes” or “OK, one more episode,” are some promises you have probably made to yourself before bedtime. Despite how many times you yawned throughout the day and thought to yourself how tired you are, you keep scrolling or binge-watching, delaying your beauty sleep even longer. This seemingly harmless habit, however, can have a significant negative impact on your health. Screen time before slumber has become a part of our nightly routine; we do our skincare, brush our teeth, change into our pajamas, climb into bed and pick up our phones. We do not realize it now, but every minute we postpone our bedtime, it has long-term effects. Our body needs to shut down and get quality sleep to be a happy and healthy individual.
When you break the habit of not using your phone before bed, you will experience significant changes in your life. The most obvious is that you will get a better night’s sleep. Checking your phone stimulates your brain, and there is no need to retain more information before going to bed. Plus, seeing something that stresses you out will only make you more awake.
Getting a good night’s sleep will lead you to increased energy throughout the next day. You will notice improvements to your overall mood, your memory will be sharper and you will be more likely to be active and move your body.
Another bonus is decreased screen time. I used to dread the weekly recap my phone would give me about my screen time and be astounded by the number. But my screen time has decreased dramatically since I put my phone down and now have the same bedtime.
There are plenty of mindless alternatives you can substitute into your routine to help you wind down before a night’s rest. The first one is journaling. Grab a pen and notebook and start writing down the highs and lows of your day or how you want your tomorrow to look. If writing is not your cup of tea, open up a book and start reading. Light reading is a great way to exercise your brain and prepare it for bed. Some other positive habits you can put in place are stretching, meditating or lifting light weights. This will slow your body down and get it into a relaxed state of mind.
Making the final hour of your day as peaceful as possible is critical. Taking a break and disconnecting from the outside world will only benefit you. Now, throw that phone on “Do Not Disturb” and catch some Z’s!
Comments