The Bad Habit That’s Seriously Messing with Your Sleep

We’re not exaggerating when we say that sleep is one of our favorite things to do. We love it and yet, we rarely get enough of it. And barring that one time the neighbors decided to throw an all-night rager, the reason why we’re not clocking in enough shut-eye is usually our own fault. 

We already know that certain foods (looking at you, spicy nachos) can interfere with sleep. But there’s one bad habit that we just can’t seem to break (and we bet you’re guilty of it, too). 

You know what’s coming, don’t you? We’re looking at you, scrolling away on your phone or computer before bed.

Staring at your screen before bed (OK, we’ll admit it—we often do this in bed) is a total shut-eye disruptor. Multiple studies—like this one from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute—have shown that the blue and white light emitted from screens prevents your brain from releasing melatonin, a hormone that readies your body for sleep (yikes). 

Sometimes we’re scrolling through Instagram, and other times we’re checking our inbox (this one’s even worse since sending emails from under the covers will make your brain associate your bed with stress and work). And yes, sometimes we need an episode of The Office to lull us to sleep. But it doesn’t matter how you choose to look at your phone or computer before bed, it’s all getting in the way of a decent night’s sleep. 

So, what’s a Jim and Pam–loving gal to do? Remove all temptation by keeping your devices far away from your bed. Better yet, store them in another room overnight. We tried it and we’re not going to lie—the first few days were rough. But after a week? It’s part of our routine. 

Trust us: Jessica Simpson’s latest pregnancy mishap will still be there in the morning.