Hide Your Devices Before Bedtime

Checking your phone in bed can disrupt your slumber

Staying Sharp

Updated August 18, 2026

A woman using a smartphone in bed at night

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Quick Win

Out of sight, out of mind with electronic devices can help you fall asleep and stay asleep.

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Leave your phone, tablet and laptop outside the bedroom. Remember to turn off notifications — you might hear them even if your phone is in another room.
Don’t turn on the TV before you sleep or during the night.
Try non-screen activities as part of a relaxing bedtime routine. Read a book, write in a journal, or snuggle up.

Why

Checking your phone or turning on the TV during the night can lead to poor sleep quality and daytime fatigue. Your mind needs to settle down for sleep, but emails, texts and social media can arouse your thoughts, particularly if you see something stressful. “Older adults are particularly susceptible to insomnia linked to bedtime digital media use,” concluded the authors of a study of 4,000 adults ages 20 to 69 published in the Journal of Clinical Neurology in 2025.

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Brain Health Resource Center

Legal Disclaimer: Staying Sharp, including all content and features, is offered for informational purposes and to educate users on brain health care and medical issues that may affect their daily lives. Staying Sharp is based on a holistic, lifestyle approach to brain health that encourages users to incorporate into their daily lives activities that are associated with general wellness. Nothing in the service should be considered, or used as a substitute for, medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Features including the Cognitive Assessment and Lifestyle Check-Ins, Additional Tests, exercises, and challenges assess performance at a particular moment in time on certain discrete cognitive tasks. Staying Sharp games are intended for entertainment and recreational purposes only. Various factors may affect performance, including sleep, tiredness, focus, and other social, environmental, or emotional factors. Performance is not indicative of cognitive health and not predictive of future performance or medical conditions.

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Hide Your Devices Before Bedtime

Checking your phone in bed can disrupt your slumber

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Try This Today

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Hide Your Devices Before Bedtime

Checking your phone in bed can disrupt your slumber

Quick Win

Try This Today

Why

More Ways to Benefit

Best Of

Most Popular

Get the Staying Sharp newsletter

Benefits Recommended For You

You’ve reached content that’s exclusive to AARP members.