How to Get Off Your Phone at Night

MiBlue Daily

July 20, 2026

Lilly DeLano

Falling asleep should be one of the easiest parts of your day. Yet it’s something one-third of adults struggle with, per the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, although not for the reasons you might think.

Ever since the development of smartphones and social media, it has become increasingly apparent that heavy screen use affects the brain and behavior and can interfere with sleep, memory, and learning, according to a 2020 study published in Dialogues of Clinical Neuroscience Constant. Phone use leads to increased mental stimulation which can trigger your alertness, arousal, and stress. This trigger makes it difficult for your brain to wind down and help prepare for a healthy sleep. In fact, using your smartphone for eight or more hours a day is closely linked to a shorter sleep duration, per a 2020 study published in Nature and Science of Sleep.

Phones and social media are here to stay, and it’s important to find tools and habits that can help you disconnect from your phone at night and rest your brain. 

Here are some options to avoid using your phone and make falling asleep easier. 

According to the Cleveland Clinic, activities like listening to music or watching a comforting TV show can be less disruptive to sleep compared to consistent phone use. Finding another distraction that involves minimum concentration will help you get out of a bad habit of being on your phone.

Over time and continued alternative activities, the urge to reach for your phone will stop.

Turn off your smartphones at least one hour before bed. This removes distractions and gives your brain the ability to decompress the information it’s been gathering all day.

According to a small 2024 study, blue light from phone screens suppressed melatonin production in young adults, and researchers recommend staying off screens in the hour before going to bed.