It's late. You meant to go to sleep an hour ago, but there's one more video, one more episode, one more scroll. Sound familiar? You're far from alone.
Late-night scrolling and binge-watching can eat into your sleep. Here's why it's so hard to stop, and how to switch off.
Why screens keep you up
It's not just the hours you lose. Gripping shows and endless feeds keep your mind busy and alert, right when it should be winding down. In one survey, people who binge-watched were far more likely to report poor sleep, and an overactive mind at bedtime explained the link.¹
Bright screens play a part too. Light in the evening can delay melatonin, the hormone that helps you feel sleepy, making it harder to drift off.²
And it adds up. Among more than 45,000 university students, every extra hour of screen time in bed was linked to about 24 minutes less sleep.³
Why it's so hard to put down
Apps and streaming services are designed to keep you watching, with autoplay and feeds that never end. Researchers even have a name for staying up later than you meant to, with no real reason: bedtime procrastination.⁴ It often creeps in after long, stressful days, when late-night scrolling feels like the only time that's truly yours.⁵
That's understandable. You deserve downtime. The trick is taking some of it before bedtime, not instead of it.
Try tonight
- Set a "screens off" reminder. Aim for at least 30 minutes before bed.⁶
- Decide in advance. Choose how many episodes you'll watch, and turn off autoplay.
- Swap the scroll. Put on a calming sound from the Relax tab in Sleepwave, or read a book instead.
- Put your phone to bed. Hit the sleep button on your Sleepwave app and place your phone on your bedside table.
Tonight, let the cliffhanger wait. It'll still be there tomorrow, and you'll enjoy it more after a good night's sleep.
References
- Exelmans L, Van den Bulck J. Binge viewing, sleep, and the role of pre-sleep arousal. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. 2017;13(8):1001–1008. doi:10.5664/jcsm.6704. https://doi.org/10.5664/jcsm.6704
- Chang AM, Aeschbach D, Duffy JF, Czeisler CA. Evening use of light-emitting eReaders negatively affects sleep, circadian timing, and next-morning alertness. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 2015;112(4):1232–1237. doi:10.1073/pnas.1418490112. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1418490112
- Hjetland GJ, Skogen JC, Hysing M, Gradisar M, Sivertsen B. How and when screens are used: comparing different screen activities and sleep in Norwegian university students. Frontiers in Psychiatry. 2025;16:1548273. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1548273. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1548273
- Kroese FM, De Ridder DTD, Evers C, Adriaanse MA. Bedtime procrastination: introducing a new area of procrastination. Frontiers in Psychology. 2014;5:611. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00611. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00611
- Bernecker K, Job V. Too exhausted to go to bed: implicit theories about willpower and stress predict bedtime procrastination. British Journal of Psychology. 2020;111(1):126–147. doi:10.1111/bjop.12382. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjop.12382
- American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Healthy sleep habits. Sleep Education. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://sleepeducation.org/healthy-sleep/healthy-sleep-habits/
