After a tedious day, I get comfortable in bed, pick up my phone and give myself some crime-free scrolling time.
Suddenly, I am bombing people living in war areas, missiles landing in families detained in cities and families. But there are little real videos of AI cats among each harsh clip, affecting their new products make videos of halls and comedy sketches.
This is a bizarre and unnecessary feeling as my brain tries to navigate the correct emotional response on every three seconds, before my finger swipe upwards to the next piece of material.
It is not surprising that I feel worried at night and when I am trying to sleep too much
And recently, since the continuous news cycle becomes even more disappointing and we are getting real -time, real -life footage from those in the scene, it has become unbearable.
I can’t help, but worry that we are doing real harm to our brain by consuming the material in this way, and I am afraid that it will encourage us to the pain of others.
But right now, I am experiencing a result of using my phone in this way. My sleep is struggling. It is no surprise that I feel worried at night and when I am trying to sleep, it’s too much, and now my dreams are taking a turn for worse.
Therefore, I have decided to ban my phone one hour before bedtime. And no, it is not burying my head in sand, it is only giving priority to sleep, and therefore, I have mental and physical health.
I talked Dr. Ola otulanaA GP and doctor, and Dr. Emma LinA board-certified pulmonologist and sleep medicine specialist, real effects to find out about social media and constantly updated news apps are on our sleep and how can we ensure that we are having a good sleep every night.
According to doctors, frequent scrolling ruins our sleep
Causes a hyper-stimulated position
Dr. “Emotionally charged on Instagram and often a mixture of disturbing materials keeps the brain in a hyper stimulated position,” says Otulana.
“It mimics a state of vigilance that makes the mind difficult to infection in rest.” Therefore, if your night routine is anything like me, I would advise to dig social media.
Dr. Lynn says that in this state, it is impossible to relax. She says, “Your brain is very busy, reading, answering, skimming,” she says. “Sleep is still brain.”
Activates body stress reaction
Dr. “Prior to the bed, reading the stress response of the body,” says Otulana, “says Otulana.
Reading troublesome news before bed activates the stress response of the body
“This increases your cortisol levels, keeps the sympathetic nervous system busy, and increases mental stimulation,” they say. Cortisol is the hormone released in the morning to help us wake up. If it is released at night, the effect may deteriorate.
“It delays the onset of sleep, reduces the quality of sleep, and often the fragmented or dreams lead to disrupted sleep. The brain essentially remains in a defensive mode rather than transfer to recovery.”
And Dr. Lynn has seen this in his patients. “I have seen many insomnia, which do not feel that her evening activity of newspaper is part of her issue,” she says.
With the availability of 24-hour news on our phone, it is only going to deteriorate
Keeps the brain alert and busy
Why do we like to scroll? It turns out, this is truly addictive. “When you are scrolling at the rate of high speed through all these different posts, you are getting small pieces of dopamine in the brain,” Dr. Lynn explains.
“This is a brain chemical that makes you feel excited. But too much leave a lot of brain alerts at bedtime,” she says.
“It is as if your brain is wired, but your body is tired.”
It is as if your brain is wired, but your body is tired
Dr. Ottulana agrees. “The use of the phone keeps the mind cognitively active. Whether you are reading, reacting, or scrolling, your brain remains alert and busy,” they say.
The doctor says, “This mental stimulation can delay the natural rise of melatonin and can disrupt the circadian rhythm of your body and also increase the possibility of restless sleep.”
“It is material and conversation even without blue lights that eliminate the brain.”
This explains my vivid and disturbing dreams recently and feel like ‘I’ all the time. Even when I wake up at night, I do not panic, I immediately wake up.
An increase in melatonin can be difficult to sleep late. You are less likely to feel tired naturally, and once your circadian rhythm is disgged, you can expect energy dips throughout the day.
Between mental health and sleep
At night, we ride bicycles through different sleep stages and each plays an important role in our mental and physical health. REM sleep, the stage in which you dream, help to process emotions and consolidate memory.
Adequate REM sleep improves our mental flexibility which is important for better mental health. If you miss this sleeping phase, you are likely to struggle the next day.
But this is also two-way relationship. Mental health struggles such as depression and anxiety can make it difficult to sleep and sleep, disrupt our sleeping cycle and reduce the time spent in each sleeping phase.
Ultimately, it can be a cycle of poor sleep and poor mental health that is difficult to break. This is why it is necessary that you prioritize your comfort and recovery. If you are already struggling, a stream of provocative materials is not going to help.
Your step better sleep
So, take out a leaf from my book. If you want to keep your phone with you before the bed for important messages, mute the information from your social media and news app, or even hide them all from your home screen together.
Close news and social media at least one hour before bed
Dr. Otulana advised, “Close news and social media at least one hour before the bed.” He says that “scrolling, reading, taking a warm bath, or gentle stretching.”
Creating a comfortable night routine can be a great way to tell your mind and body.
“If your brain is running, write your thoughts in a notebook. Creating a consistent, cool gold routine helps to indicate the body that it is the air time below,” doctors recommend.
