How Social Media Affects Your Sleep

We’ve seen an explosion in the use of social media platforms over the past decade, (TikTok we’re looking at you) and how we are using social media is having a massive impact on our sleep.

According to the latest data, we spend an average of 2 hours 25 minutes on social media sites and apps per day – that’s almost 17 hours per week! While it might feel relaxing to lie in bed and check a newsfeed, the reality is that this constant connectivity can have a major negative effect on our sleep.

But what happens when staying connected continues into bedtime and how exactly does social media affect your sleep?

It’s well-established that looking at phone screens can impact sleep. Mobiles emit mostly blue light, and these wavelengths are particularly good at keeping us productive and focussed, so perfectly suited for daytime phone usage.

At night-time, however, this isn’t ideal. At its simplest, exposure to light tells us to be awake, so looking at a bright light from a phone just before bed is telling your body it’s still time to be awake and not sleep time.

Alongside this when you do eventually fall asleep, this isn’t the end of social media’s hold on your brain. We receive an influx of message alerts, notifications, texts, updates… (why is no one asleep?!)

In our eagerness to appear always available and connected, many of us further jeopardise our sleep by keeping our phone within grasp, on vibrate, or unmuted. Ultimately impacting your sleep.

The best way to avoid this is to turn your phone off, put it on airplane mode or leave it on silent. Keeping it out of the bedroom at night would be ideal, but if this feels like a step too far, leave it on the other side of the room, as far away from your bed as possible.

Don’t get us wrong – social media has many good points. It connects people, can bring friends and families closer together, it informs us, and is entertaining (we are also victims to TikTok). But sleep and social media are not a good mix for a great night’s sleep.

If you’re in a routine of using social media every night before bed, breaking the habit may be tricky. However, stick with it and soon you’ll be sleeping through the night!