Like many of us, Jessica Peoples has heard the warnings about excessive screen time at night. Still, she estimates spending 30 to 60 minutes on her phone before going to sleep, mostly scrolling through social media.

含羞草研究社淩ecently, I含羞草研究社檝e been trying to limit the amount,含羞草研究社� says Peoples, a discrimination investigator with the state of New Jersey. 含羞草研究社淚 do notice that how much time I spend affects .含羞草研究社�

Over half of Americans spend time on their phones within an hour of going to sleep, according to a . That含羞草研究社檚 the very latest we should shut off devices, experts say.

The brain needs to wind down long before bedtime to get the restorative deep sleep that helps the body function, said Melissa Milanak, an associate professor at Medical University of South Carolina specializing in sleep health.

含羞草研究社淵ou wouldn含羞草研究社檛 take a casserole out of the oven and stick it right in the fridge. It needs to cool down,含羞草研究社� Milanak said. 含羞草研究社淥ur brains need to do that too.含羞草研究社�

Upending your bedtime routine may not be easy, but insufficient sleep has long been linked to , and . are particularly disruptive to the circadian clock that regulates sleep and other hormones.

含羞草研究社淭here are a million and one ways screens create problems with sleep,含羞草研究社� said Lisa Strauss, a licensed psychologist specializing in cognitive behavioral treatment of sleep disorders.

The brain, she said, processes electric light 含羞草研究社� not just a smartphone含羞草研究社檚 much-maligned blue light 含羞草研究社� as sunshine. That suppresses melatonin production, delaying deep sleep. Even very little bright-light exposure in bed has an impact.

IT含羞草研究社橲 NOT JUST THE LIGHT THAT KEEPS YOU UP

Of course, doomscrolling through the news, checking emails or being tempted by ever more tailored videos on social media has its own consequences.

So-called 含羞草研究社渢echnostress含羞草研究社� amps you up 含羞草研究社� possibly even triggering the brain含羞草研究社檚 flight or flight response. And algorithms designed to be engaging compel many social media users to scroll longer than they intended.

含羞草研究社淣ow it含羞草研究社檚 30 minutes later, when you wanted to watch a couple videos and fall asleep,含羞草研究社� Milanak said.

Though much of the scientific research on online media , Strauss said most of her clients struggling with insomnia are middle-aged. 含羞草研究社淧eople go down these rabbit holes of videos, and more and more people are getting hooked,含羞草研究社� she said.

HOW TO BREAK THE HABIT

The issue is not just curtailing phone use in bed, but phone use at night. That means redesigning your routine, particularly if you use your phone as a way to decompress.

It helps to create replacement behaviors that are rewarding. An obvious contender is reading a physical book (e-readers are better than phones but still cast artificial light). Milanak also suggests using that hour before bed to take a warm bath, listen to a podcast, make school lunches for the next day, spend time with family or call a relative in another time zone.

含羞草研究社淢ake a list of things you like that never get done. That含羞草研究社檚 a great time to do stuff that doesn含羞草研究社檛 involve screens,含羞草研究社� she said. Using a notepad to write down the to-do list for the next day helps keep you from ruminating in bed.

Do those activities in another room to train yourself to associate the bed with falling asleep. If there含羞草研究社檚 no other private refuge at home, 含羞草研究社渆stablish a distinct microenvironment for wakefulness and sleep,含羞草研究社� Strauss said. That could mean sitting on the other side of the bed to read, or even just turning the other way around with your feet at the headboard.

Finally, sequester the phone in another room, or at least across the room. 含羞草研究社淓nvironmental control can work better than will power, especially when we含羞草研究社檙e tired,含羞草研究社� she said.

WHAT IF STOPPING DOESN含羞草研究社橳 FEEL REALISTIC?

There are ways to reduce the harm. Setting the phone on night mode at a scheduled time every day is better than nothing, as is reducing screen brightness every night. Hold the phone far from your face and at an oblique angle to minimize the strength of the light.

Minimize tempting notifications by putting the phone on do not disturb, which can be adjusted to allow calls and messages from certain people 含羞草研究社� say, an ailing parent or a kid off at university 含羞草研究社� to go through. But none of these measures give you carte blanche to look at whatever you want at night, Strauss said.

She also recommended asking yourself why checking social media has become your late-night reward.

含羞草研究社淭hink about the larger structure of the day,含羞草研究社� she said. Everyone deserves solitary moments to relax, but 含羞草研究社渕aybe be more self-indulgent earlier so you have what you need.含羞草研究社�