What happens when you stop scrolling before bedtime?

Just checking that one last thing or just one more scroll and suddenly it’s 00.00, your thumb hurts, your eyeballs are twitching, you feel kind of sleepy but you’re just stuck in the scroll.

Here’s the thing: You’re not weak-willed. Social media is designed to hijack your attention and your emotions. Social media works to make you addicted to scrolling.

Photo by Kinga Howard on Unsplash

But what happens when we actually walk away?

Researchers from Stanford and NYU decided to find out.They asked over 35.000 people to deactivate Facebook or Instagram for six weeks, no other interventions, no meditation videos, no 10-step morning routines. Just log off and live life.

And here’s what they found:

·       People felt noticeably happier

·       They were less anxious

·       Their depression scores dropped

·       Overall emotional health improved, even just a little

So what does this mean for you?

If you’ve been feeling more frazzled than fulfilled after scrolling, If you’ve noticed your sleep feels lighter, your mood a little flatter, your evenings more chaotic.

It might be less about what’s missing in your routine, and more about what’s still overstimulating your brain before bed.

Try this (mini but mighty) experiment:

Take two hours before bed and go screen-free, no social, no emails, no doomscrolling.

Instead? Try:

·       A bath

·       Reading

·       Watc a relaxing television program (????)

·       Stretchinging or a little yin yoga

·       A brain dump into your journal or drawing

·       Or absolutely nothing at all

You might feel your body unwind faster.You might sleep deeper.You might even wake up happier.

No hacks. Just less noise.

Your brain (and your bedtime) will thank you!

Source:

Stanford University

Mollie Eastman