Is doomscrolling affecting your sleep quality?

ARTICLE

1 April 2026

3 min read

Most of us have been there – phone in hand, half asleep, telling ourselves this is the last one. It turns out 71% of us are doing exactly that before bed every night, and the more tired we are, the more we scroll.

But what is all that late-night doomscrolling actually doing to our sleep, and what can we do about it?

Why do we doomscroll?

Doomscrolling disrupts sleep in a couple of ways. The first is physical; screens emit blue light, which suppresses melatonin, the hormone your body relies on to feel sleepy. Essentially, your phone is telling your brain it’s still daytime, even at midnight.

The second is psychological. Doomscrolling creates a habit loop – feeling tired becomes the cue, grabbing your phone becomes the go-to move, and that instant hit of new content acts as the reward. Consuming emotionally intense or distressing content also raises cortisol levels and keeps your nervous system activated. Before you know it, this loop becomes automatic and your brain’s winding up at the exact point it’s meant to be winding down. The result is that you take longer to fall asleep, sleep less deeply when you do, and wake up feeling less rested than you should.

Over time, this takes a real toll on both your mental and physical health.

How to build healthier sleep habits

The good news is that small changes can make a genuine difference. You don’t need to overhaul your entire routine overnight.

No screens an hour before bed. If you’re aiming for a 10pm bedtime, that means switching off the TV and putting your phone down by 9pm. It sounds simple, but it’s harder than it seems – so it helps to set a reminder to make it stick.
Switch on night mode after dinner. Your phone’s night mode setting reduces blue light exposure in the lead-up to bed, which helps your melatonin do its job. If you have ‘smart lights’ at home, setting them to dim at a certain time is an effective nudge too.
Wind down your body. Even five minutes of gentle stretching before bed can lower your stress levels and improve how deeply you sleep.
Set an alarm for bedtime, not just the morning. Most adults need between 7 and 8 hours of sleep to truly reset. Set a daily alarm to remind you it’s time for bed at a reasonable hour.
Eat early. Try to avoid large meals in the hour before bed. Eating leads to more disrupted sleep and wakeful periods through the night as your body is busy digesting when it should be resting.

None of this requires perfection. Even just cutting back on your late-night scrolling by 20 minutes is a small win. Your sleep and your future self will thank you for it.

Earn AIA Vitality Points why you sleep

Quality sleep doesn’t just boost your body and mind—it's also an easy way to support your AIA Vitality journey. When you link a compatible wearable device to your AIA Vitality app, you can earn 10 Vitality Points per night for getting at least 7 hours of sleep. Over time, that adds up to 50 points per week and as many as 2,000 points per membership year, simply for tracking your rest. These points contribute to improving your AIA Vitality Status, helping unlock even greater rewards and benefits as you progress.

Staff Writer

Staff writers come from a range of backgrounds including health, wellbeing, music, tech, culture and the arts. They spend their time researching the latest data and trends in the health market to deliver up-to-date information, helping everyday Australians live healthier lives. This is general information only and is not intended as medical, health, nutritional or other advice. You should obtain professional advice from a medical or health practitioner in relation to your own personal circumstances.

Disclaimer:
Copyright © 2026 AIA Australia Limited (ABN 79 004 837 861 AFSL 230043). This is general information only, without taking into account factors like the objectives, financial situation, needs or personal circumstances of any individual and is not intended to be financial, legal, tax, medical, nutritional, health, fitness or other advice. The source information of the articles is current as of the date of publication and may be subject to change. While the information contained herein is believed to be accurate, AIA Australia expressly disclaims any and all liability for representations or warranties, expressed or implied, contained in, or for omissions from, the information.

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