As much as I try to read every night before dozing off, I still always end up on my phone, toggling between Instagram, text messages, and other various apps before officially calling it a night. And I know it’s not the best habit to have. Previous studies have linked sleep deprivation to anxiety, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes. Experts recommend adults get seven to nine hours of sleep a night. A new study now reveals most Americans are losing out on 200-plus hours of sleep a year.
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Americans are missing out on hundreds of hours of sleep because of their phones.
A new Amerisleep survey found that Americans lose an average of 231 hours (that’s roughly 10 full days!) of sleep per year due to late-night doomscrolling. They polled the sleeping habits of 1,004 participants, a majority of whom were millennials (48 percent) and Gen Xers (26 percent).
More than half of respondents said they crawl into bed by 10:59 p.m.; however, 44 percent admitted they don’t actually fall asleep until midnight or later. Twenty-eight percent have stayed up past 2:00 a.m. on a work night because they were distracted by their phones. This pattern was most common in Gen Zers.
Moreover, Gen Z participants reported the longest nightly scroll time (an average of 58 minutes) compared to their peers.
Additional key takeaways from the survey include:
- 86 percent of Americans go on their phones after getting into bed.
- The average American scrolls for 38 minutes before sleeping.
- 89 percent of iPhone users use their phones in bed before falling asleep vs. 82 percent of Android users.
- Women are eight percent more likely to be bedtime scrollers than men.
“The results show that the problem is not just a harmless distraction. Instead, the scrolling behavior before bed is robbing people of sleep, energy, and even job prospects. This starts at a very young age, especially for Generation Z, and is quietly impacting our daytime performance,” April Mayer, a sleep expert at Amerisleep, exclusively tells Best Life.
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Bedtime scrollers are most likely to go on social media, with YouTube and Reddit being the most popular.
I’ll be the first one to admit that I have a bedtime phone routine. This consists of answering unread texts, refreshing my email, scrolling on Instagram, checking my dating apps, and lastly, setting a bajillion morning alarms. Sometimes, I get through these tasks quickly. Other times, I blink and an hour has gone by, just like that.
Amerisleep found that one in 10 bedtime scrollers use their phone for at least 90 minutes before falling asleep. So, what are they doing?
- Scrolling social media: 65 percent
- Watching short videos/livestreams: 44 percent
- Playing games: 33 percent
- Reading the news: 32 percent
- Texting: 32 percent
- Surfing the web: 29 percent
- On email: 28 percent
- Online shopping: 25 percent
According to their findings, these are the top five most-used apps at bedtime:
- YouTube: 43 percent
- Reddit: 43 percent
- Instagram: 36 percent
- Facebook: 33 percent
- TikTok: 33 percent
Researchers estimate these social media platforms are responsible for keeping “at least a third of Americans awake at night.”
“Social media was a key driver of Gen Z’s scrolling habits, with 73 percent browsing or using these platforms at bedtime, which is more than any other generation,” per the report. “YouTube and TikTok were the top culprits, with 63 percent and 52 percent of Gen Z using them before sleep, respectively. Texting was another common habit among Gen Z, with 45 percent messaging friends or family before bed, the highest of any generation.”
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Bedtime scrolling is disrupting how Americans perform at work, too.
Although late-night doomscrolling “may appear to be a harmless habit,” it can have “concerning” effects on how you perform at work, warns Mayer.
One in six bedtime scrollers reported falling asleep on the job, while 25 percent of respondents said they’ve missed a meeting, deadline, or shift due to staying up too late on their phone. Furthermore, 22 percent said their poor nighttime phone habits have cost them a career opportunity.
“These statistics illustrate that late-night screen time is not merely hindering rest; it is actively undermining job performance and resulting in the loss of significant professional opportunities,” adds Mayer.
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How to quit bedtime scrolling for good:
Breaking a habit is easier said than done; only 16 percent of participants reported deleting an app (the most popular answer being TikTok) to improve their sleep quality.
“To combat the cycle of bedtime scrolling, setting a firm ‘phone curfew’ of at least 30 to 60 minutes before sleep is advisable,” suggests Mayer.
She recommends opting for “calming” activities that will “signal to the brain that it’s time to relax.” Some examples include reading, journaling, meditating, and stretching.
You can also use your phone to your advantage. “Tools like Do Not Disturb, Sleep Focus, and the limiting of exposure to stimulating material before bed can lead to more restful sleep and greater focus the next day,” concludes Mayer.
Additionally, you can switch to a traditional alarm clock so you aren’t inclined to keep your phone nearby. Some folks choose to charge their devices in another room to eliminate temptation and get rid of notification and blue light distractions.