The Late-Night Habit That’s Wrecking Your Sleep

There’s something comforting about climbing into bed and winding down with a quick scroll through your phone—or maybe sneaking in one last episode on your tablet.

But like a flickering porch light that attracts bugs, this nighttime ritual might be inviting trouble without you even realizing it.

Because according to new research from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, just one hour of screen time in bed raises your risk of insomnia by 59 percent.

And it cuts your sleep short by nearly half an hour.

The study, published in Frontiers in Psychiatry, included over 45,000 university students—but the results are striking no matter your age.

It turns out the type of screen use doesn’t matter much: Whether you’re scrolling social media, watching a show, or checking emails, the total amount of screen time in bed is what does the most damage.

Think of it like letting in a cold draft on a winter’s night—each extra hour you spend bathed in blue light makes it harder for your body to wind down. Melatonin production drops. Your brain stays alert. And before you know it, it’s 1 a.m. and you’re wide awake.

Now, you might be thinking: “That’s college kids—we’re not the ones glued to TikTok until dawn.”

But let’s be honest. Many of us use our phones as flashlights, alarm clocks, news feeds, recipe books… it’s become second nature to keep it bedside.

And the consequences stack up. Poor sleep doesn’t just make for groggy mornings—it can also raise your risk for memory problems, high blood pressure, even heart disease.

And for seniors especially, a consistent, high-quality sleep routine is one of the most powerful tools for protecting long-term brain health.

Here’s what else the researchers found:

• Students who used no screens at all in bed had a 24% lower risk of insomnia.
• The type of screen activity didn’t matter as much as total time spent.
• Those who only used social media (surprisingly) fared slightly better than those using other screen types—but their sleep still suffered.

The takeaway? You don’t need to swear off all screens—but you do need to set limits, especially before bed.

Here’s how to protect your sleep starting tonight:

• Power down all screens 30–60 minutes before bedtime.
• Keep your phone outside the bedroom if possible—or at least out of arm’s reach.
• Switch to “night mode” or dim your screen in the evening to reduce blue light exposure.
• Establish a calming bedtime routine: reading a book, gentle stretching, or listening to soft music.

In the end, it’s not about giving up your phone entirely—it’s about reclaiming your rest. Because as this study shows, the seemingly harmless habit of nighttime screen use may be costing you much more than just a few minutes of sleep.

And in a world full of noise, your brain deserves the silence of a good night’s rest.

To quality sleep,

Rachel Mace
Managing Editorial Director, e-Alert
with contributions from the research team

P.S. Want better sleep, balanced hormones, and a healthier aging process? Dr. Gerhauser’s Circadian Reset Protocol shows you how—Click here to learn more.