As we dive into a brand new decade and reflect upon the decade past, one stark societal change that we’ve all collectively experienced is the constant presence of the smartphone.
While having communication, entertainment, and information at our fingertips surely has its advantages, by now it’s become all too clear that the disadvantages also are quite significant.
One way to reduce the negative effects of owning a smartphone is to curb its use at bedtime. Looking at your phone right before bed keeps the brain stimulated, mentally and emotionally, stopping your mind from calming to a restful state. What’s more, the blue light that your phone emits has been shown to have negative effects on eyesight and your sleep cycle.
Sleep is important. (Instagram is not.) It’s best to plug in your phone outside of your bedroom and partake in other real-world activities for your bedtime routine.
Here are a few ideas.

Start During the Day
There are some things you can do during the daytime to ensure a better bedtime. Make sure you move your body during the day. If your lifestyle is sedentary, you’re not exerting enough energy during the day and you may not find yourself feeling sleepy at the time you should be going to bed.Make sure you’re moving—hit the gym, go for a walk, ride your bike—whatever physical activity you enjoy works.
Additionally, wake up at around the same time each day. Train your body to know when it’s bedtime each night by waking at the same time each day. A solid eight hours of sleep or more is what you should be aiming for. So, do the math to come up with your ideal bedtime and make it happen.