Is your phone the last thing you see before sleep? Neurologist explains what late-night scrolling may do

For many people, checking the phone is the final part of the day. A quick look at social media can turn into several minutes of scrolling, followed by news updates, short videos or one more round of notifications. But could this bedtime habit be affecting the quality of sleep?

Dr Joy D. Desai, Director, Neurology, Jaslok Hospital & Research Centre, Mumbai, says prolonged cellphone use, particularly late at night, deserves more attention when it comes to brain and sleep health.

Why your phone can keep the brain engaged

Mobile phones have become an important part of everyday life, serving as tools for communication, entertainment, information and social networking.

However, Dr Desai points to studies suggesting that frequent cellphone use of more than three hours a day, particularly on social media applications, can be associated with changes in attention span and increased activity in dopaminergic networks linked with the demand for instant gratification.

The content people consume can also matter. News feeds, particularly those focused on negative events or alarming developments, can encourage what is commonly known as 'doomscrolling'. Dr Desai also highlights the growing presence of AI-generated information, short videos and images that can blur the distinction between perceived reality and fiction.

What happens when you scroll before bed?

Sleep is not simply a period when the body switches off. According to Dr Desai, it plays an important role in memory consolidation, emotional stability and the regulation of blood pressure and blood sugar.

He also describes sleep as the brain's main cleansing mechanism. During sleep, the glymphatic system helps eliminate proteinaceous waste that accumulates during the day. Sub-optimal sleep-related glymphatic cleansing has also been implicated in neurodegenerative diseases.

This makes the quality of sleep important, not just the number of hours spent in bed.

Late-night screen exposure may affect sleep depth

Dr Desai says late-night exposure to blue-light-rich screens has been linked with sub-optimal sleep depth and changes in the body's natural melatonin rhythms.

While the long-term consequences of daily social media scrolling before bed have not yet been studied, he says a calm wind-down routine is conducive to healthy sleep. In contrast, scrolling through social media immediately before going to bed may work against that process.

The concern, therefore, is not simply that you are looking at a screen. It is also about what your brain is being asked to process at a time when it should be moving towards rest.

Could doomscrolling make bedtime even harder?

A particularly common pattern is reaching for the phone to check the day's news before sleeping. One story leads to another, and the scrolling continues.

Dr Desai notes that the tendency to scroll through news associated with adverse consequences or conspiratorial interpretations contributed to the emergence of the term 'doomscrolling' in 2018.

This kind of content can keep the mind engaged instead of allowing it to gradually wind down.

What can you do before going to sleep?

The expert's broader point is to create a calmer transition between the day's activities and sleep.

Instead of making the phone the final thing you see before closing your eyes, a quieter bedtime routine may help support deeper, more restorative sleep. Dr Desai also points to exposure to nature, greenery, mountain views and the sound of running water as experiences that can have calming effects on the brain.

His observation about our increasingly digital lives is pointed. As technology becomes more deeply woven into everyday routines, it is worth considering what constant stimulation may be costing us.

As Dr Desai puts it in his response, Ralph Waldo Emerson might well be echoing, 'I TOLD YOU SO', from his grave.