On my phone in bed and can't fall asleep. What can I do?

If you scroll your phone in bed and then can't fall asleep, the main step is to put the phone down well before you want to sleep. The US CDC advises turning off electronic devices at least 30 minutes before bedtime, and the US National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) says the light from screens may signal the brain that it's time to be awake. Messages and videos keep you alert too, and scrolling pushes bedtime later without you noticing. Turning on do-not-disturb and charging the phone away from the bed make it easier to stop. You are far from alone: in a survey of Thai university students, 59.2% used a smartphone for more than 30 minutes before bedtime.

If you lie awake mainly because your thoughts won't stop, see Can't sleep because your mind won't stop thinking?. For tired, dry eyes after a day at screens, see Tired, dry eyes from screens all day. What should I do?

How much do people in Thailand use their phones, including at night?

Phones are now the main way people in Thailand go online, and Thai surveys show how much of the day, and the evening, they take up.

Time online in the national survey

Thailand's Electronic Transactions Development Agency (ETDA) surveyed 46,348 internet users across the country between April and July 2022. Of these users, 97.07% went online by mobile phone.

The survey asked people to report their own use, and respondents took part voluntarily, so the figures describe internet users rather than everyone in Thailand. Time online includes work and study, not just leisure.

Phones before bed among Thai students

A 2023 to 2024 survey of 446 students at a university in southern Thailand, by Kaewpradit and colleagues at Prince of Songkla University, asked about screen use and sleep.

The same study did not find a significant link between heavy daily screen time and poor sleep quality. The two figures come from different questions, so they do not show that the students who used their phones before bed were the ones who slept poorly. It covered one university, and students rated themselves, so it shows how common late phone use is rather than proving what it does to sleep.

How many Thai adults get enough sleep

Thailand's Ministry of Public Health issued 24-hour movement guidelines in 2017 that advise adults aged 18 to 59 to sleep 7 to 9 hours a day. An analysis of the national time-use survey of 167,577 Thai adults by Liangruenrom and colleagues found that in 2015, 56.4% of adults met this sleep range. The study also found that people in Bangkok and the South were less likely to meet the guidelines as a whole (activity, sitting and sleep together).

Why does using my phone in bed make it harder to fall asleep?

Three things tend to come together: the light from the screen, content that keeps you alert, and time that slips away.

Light from the screen

The NHLBI explains that the amount of melatonin in the blood starts to increase in the evening, and that bright artificial light in the late evening, including light from a smartphone, can disrupt this and prevent the brain from releasing melatonin. In a US sleep laboratory study by Chang and colleagues, people who read on a light-emitting e-reader in the hours before bed took longer to fall asleep and felt less sleepy in the evening than when they read a printed book, and their melatonin release was lower. The study used e-readers under laboratory conditions, not everyday phone use.

Messages, videos and notifications

News, chats, short videos and games keep the brain responsive, the opposite of winding down. A survey of 844 adults in Belgium by Exelmans and Van den Bulck found that six out of ten took their mobile phone to the bedroom, and that sending or receiving texts or calls after lights out was linked to taking longer to fall asleep and to more sleep disturbance. This was a single survey of self-reported habits, so it shows a link rather than cause.

Time that slips away

A feed has no last page. "Five more minutes" easily becomes half an hour, and if you still get up at the same time, that half hour comes straight out of your sleep.

How long before bed should I put my phone down?

Health agencies in the US and UK give similar advice, with slightly different times.

A simple way to follow all three is to choose a "phone down" time 30 to 60 minutes before you plan to sleep and set a daily reminder for it.

How can I set up my phone and bedroom so I stop scrolling?

Willpower is hardest at night, so it helps to make the phone less easy to pick up.

Silence it for the night

Turn on do-not-disturb or a scheduled sleep mode so messages wait until morning. Most phones let a few contacts, such as family, still get through, which makes it easier to switch everything else off.

Keep it out of reach

Charge the phone on a table across the room or outside the bedroom. If you use it as your alarm, a simple alarm clock that is not brightly lit means you don't need the phone by the bed. The NHLBI advises keeping the bedroom quiet, cool and dark.

Fill the time with something calm

The NHLBI suggests a hot bath or relaxation techniques before bed, and the NHS mentions taking a bath or reading a book. A paper book, quiet music or a few slow stretches give your hands something to do instead of the phone.

Keep your wake time steady

The CDC advises going to bed and getting up at the same time every day. If a late night happens, getting up at your usual time keeps your sleep pattern from drifting later. The NHS also advises against sleeping in after a bad night.

What if work or family messages come in late at night?

Late messages are a common reason people keep the phone close.

Agree on your offline hours

Let your team, friends or family group know the time you stop replying, and that urgent matters should come by phone call. Once others know, it can feel easier to leave the phone alone.

Leave a door open for real emergencies

If you need to be reachable, allow calls from a few people through do-not-disturb rather than keeping all chat notifications on.

When should I see a doctor about trouble falling asleep?

Phone habits are only one of many things that affect sleep, so it is worth knowing when to ask a doctor.

Signs to see a doctor

England's NHS advises seeing a doctor if:

• changing your sleep habits has not helped
• you have had trouble sleeping for months
• it affects your daily life in a way that makes it hard to cope

Stay safe when you are sleepy

The NHS advises not driving when you feel sleepy.

What to tell the doctor

A doctor may ask how long you use your phone in bed and what for, how much coffee, tea or energy drinks you have, and which medicines you take regularly, so it helps to have these in mind.