Turn Off Electronics Well Before Bedtime: A Better Evening Routine for Sleep
For many of us, the last thing we look at before closing our eyes is a screen. We answer one more email, watch one more episode, scroll through social media, or check tomorrow's weather from bed. What feels like a harmless way to wind down can easily turn into another 30 or 60 minutes of wakefulness.
Sleep is not just “downtime.” It supports attention, mood, physical recovery, immune function, and the body's ability to manage pain. When sleep is consistently shortened or disrupted, it can affect how we feel and function the next day.
The good news is that improving your nighttime routine does not require throwing every device out of the house. A realistic first step is to create a clear buffer between stimulating screen use and sleep.
Why Electronics Can Interfere With Sleep
There is not one single reason screens affect bedtime. Several factors can work together.
Evening light can affect the body's sleep timing
Light is one of the signals the brain uses to regulate the circadian rhythm, the roughly 24-hour system that helps control sleep and wakefulness. Bright evening light, including light from screens, can make it harder for the body to transition toward sleep.
Blue-enriched light received particular attention because shorter-wavelength light can influence melatonin and alertness. However, it is too simplistic to treat blue light as the only problem. Brightness, duration, timing, distance from the screen, and the content you are consuming all matter.
Screens are designed to keep your attention
Even if the light itself were not a factor, the activity on the device can keep the brain engaged. Work emails create mental to-do lists. News can trigger stress. Social media provides an endless stream of novel information. Games and videos encourage “just one more.”
That stimulation can make it difficult to shift from problem-solving mode into sleep mode.
Screen time can simply replace sleep time
One of the most practical problems is time displacement. If you planned to sleep at 10:30 but stay on your phone until 11:30, you have lost an hour before sleep even begins.
For people who have an early work or school schedule, bedtime scrolling can quickly become chronic sleep restriction.
How Long Before Bed Should You Put Electronics Away?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention includes turning off electronic devices at least 30 minutes before bedtime among its healthy sleep habits. Some people benefit from a longer buffer, especially if they notice that work, games, or social media make it difficult to settle down.
Rather than obsessing over a perfect number, start with a routine you can follow consistently. Thirty minutes is a practical minimum for many adults. If that does not feel like enough, try 45 to 60 minutes.
The key is to replace screen time with something that actually prepares you for sleep instead of leaving a vacuum that sends you straight back to your phone.
What to Do During Your Screen-Free Wind-Down
A useful evening routine should be simple enough to repeat on ordinary nights. Consider:
- Taking a warm shower or bath
- Reading a paper book or magazine
- Preparing clothes or lunch for the next day
- Doing a few minutes of gentle, comfortable mobility work
- Listening to quiet music or an audiobook without actively using the screen
- Writing down tomorrow's tasks so you do not keep rehearsing them mentally
- Dimming household lights
- Practicing slow breathing or another relaxation technique
If you use your phone as an alarm clock, place it across the room or use a separate alarm so the device does not need to stay beside your pillow.
What About Night Mode and Blue-Light Glasses?
Night-mode settings can reduce the amount of short-wavelength light emitted by a screen, and lowering screen brightness may make evening use less stimulating. Those tools can be useful, but they do not solve every part of the problem.
A phone in night mode can still keep you awake if you are answering messages, watching exciting videos, or scrolling for an hour past your intended bedtime.
Think of light-filtering settings as a supporting tool, not permission to use electronics indefinitely in bed.
Keep the Bed Associated With Sleep
When possible, reserve the bed primarily for sleep rather than work, scrolling, and long stretches of television. This helps reinforce the connection between getting into bed and winding down.
If you frequently lie awake for long periods, have loud snoring with pauses in breathing, wake gasping, struggle with persistent insomnia, or experience excessive daytime sleepiness despite allowing enough time for sleep, talk with a healthcare professional. Sleep disorders such as obstructive sleep apnea require evaluation and should not be treated as a simple screen-time problem.
Sleep, Pain, and Physical Recovery
Sleep and musculoskeletal discomfort can affect each other in both directions. Pain can make it hard to fall asleep or stay asleep. Poor sleep can also make pain feel more intense and reduce energy for exercise and recovery the next day.
That is why Homberg Chiropractic often discusses sleep as part of the bigger picture when helping patients with recurring neck, back, or joint problems. Chiropractic care is not a treatment for insomnia, but sleep quality can influence how well a person tolerates activity and rehabilitation.
If discomfort is what keeps you reaching for your phone at night because you cannot get comfortable, it may be worth evaluating the physical problem rather than trying to distract yourself until you fall asleep.
A Practical Seven-Day Electronics Reset
You do not need to overhaul your life in one night. Try this for a week:
- Choose a realistic bedtime and wake time.
- Set a “screens off” reminder 30 to 60 minutes before bed.
- Charge your phone outside arm's reach.
- Dim lights during the wind-down period.
- Choose one non-screen activity you actually enjoy.
- Keep the room cool, quiet, and dark where possible.
- Notice how long it takes you to fall asleep and how you feel the next morning.
If the plan is helpful, keep it. If not, adjust one variable at a time. Sleep habits work best when they fit real life.
Don't Let Perfection Get in the Way
There will be nights when you need to respond to a message or finish something on your computer. That does not erase the benefits of a good routine the rest of the week.
The goal is not to make technology the enemy. It is to avoid allowing technology to take over the part of the evening your body needs to transition toward sleep.
A consistent bedtime, enough total sleep opportunity, daytime physical activity, and a calmer pre-sleep routine usually matter more than buying a special gadget or chasing a perfect sleep hack.
Medical Disclaimer: This article is for educational purposes only and does not replace an in-person evaluation, diagnosis, or treatment plan from a licensed healthcare professional. Persistent insomnia, excessive daytime sleepiness, or signs of sleep apnea should be discussed with a qualified healthcare professional.