How Does Social Media Affect Sleep?

Here’s how you can get better rest.

Woman scrolling on her phone in bed

Woman scrolling on her phone in bed

Picture this: It's 10:00 pm and you have work the next day. It's time for bed, but instead of curling up under your sheets and closing your eyes, you find yourself reaching for your phone.

Before you know it, it's already 3 am.

Does this sound familiar to you? You’re not alone!

In recent years, there has been a significant increase in "nocturnal social media use," as discovered in a 2020 study. These behaviours have become so commonplace that checking social media before bed is almost considered natural.

Research discovered several factors play a part in sleep patterns among young adults, including excessive social media use, FOMO, poor mental health and inadequate sleep hygiene.

Your journey to upgraded sleep starts today! Read on.

How Does Blue Light Affect Sleep? 

Man fielding phone notifications

The explanation is simple: Smartphones emit blue light, which suppresses melatonin, the hormone involved in regulating our sleep cycle. This tricks our brains into thinking that it's daytime when it's technically nighttime, causing us to feel more awake than usual.

And as you might expect, the more awake we feel and the more time we spend on social media, the less sleep we get.

What is Sleep Hygiene? 

Sleep habits, or sleep hygiene, are the practice of maintaining positive sleep patterns through self-regulation. According to the Sleep Foundation, poor sleep hygiene can negatively impact sleep quality and quantity. 

There are many ways to practice sleep hygiene that relate to your environment and habits.

Social Media and Sleep Hygiene 

Using social media before bedtime is an example of poor sleep hygiene. 

Interestingly, the researchers discovered that scrolling on social media before bed only affected people in educational settings. The results could be explained by the fact that students often have a harder time maintaining self-control and moderation than their working counterparts.

As for those who were employed, social media was simply a means of coping with daily pressures rather than a distraction from sleep. Social media use did not affect sleep quality in this sample of young adults, but other factors such as sleep hygiene and self-regulation did. Having certain work obligations, these individuals displayed higher levels of self-control, thus preventing them from falling into a social media spiral.

Woman lying on the couch scrolling on her phone

Woman lying on the couch scrolling on her phone

Social Media, Sleep and FOMO

For most people, fear is a sign of uncertainty, brought on by anxiety of the hypothetical.

In the world of social media, this fear is amplified. In an age when we are constantly exposed to the lives of others, it’s not surprising that we often stumble across experiences that we feel we’re missing out on. 

It’s all too easy to compare our lives with others and get caught in an unbreakable cycle of comparison and FOMO. You can’t help but think… My life isn't as exciting as others. But still, you remain online.

Man scrolling in bed

As we begin to feel more disconnected from those around us, we turn to social media. In an effort to connect with others, we reduce our sleep and increase our social media use.

Researchers say this isn't just limited to the hours before bedtime. According to the study, many users continue this practice into the middle of the night, answering texts and phone calls between wakefulness and sleep.

This can lead to excessive nocturnal social media usage, further affecting sleep quality. FOMO is not the culprit here. In reality, the problem stems from our lack of control and overuse of social media.

How Can You Get Better Sleep? 

As the research found, people who practice good sleep hygiene are less likely to become addicted to social media, and therefore get better sleep

Scrolling through Instagram may seem like the solution to reducing these anxious feelings, but it’s not. In all cases, moderation is key.

A woman meditating

Sleep Hygiene Tips:

  • Sleep with your phone in another room

  • Try to avoid social media use for about two hours before bed

  • Turn off your notifications 

  • Set a Do Not Disturb schedule from evening until morning

  • Stick to a consistent sleep schedule 

  • Try reading or meditating before bed

You could start to see positive effects from these habits almost immediately! Try adopting one at a time and note the difference in your rest. 

Social media doesn’t have to be the enemy! As long as you don’t let it invade your sleep, it can be a tool for connection and positivity. 


Study Objective & Methods

Sleepless Due To Social Media? Investigating Problematic Sleep Due To Social Media and Social Media Sleep Hygiene

Anushree Tandon, PhD; Puneet Kaur, MSc, DSc; Amandeep Dhir, PhD, MSc; Matti Mäntymäki, DSc


Tandon et al. fill a gap in the existing literature on sleep disturbances by investigating how FOMO, social media use, psychological well-being, and sleep hygiene are associated with problematic sleep in a study of young adults, both in educational and professional settings.
Using the data collected in the study, researchers concluded that social media usage has a direct effect on sleep habits, while factors such as FOMO and sleep hygiene shared an indirect association.

Become E Certified

This research (and all our social media and well-being articles) have laid the foundation for our E Certification training: a 3-course program for anyone wanting to approach social media and communications in a way that protects well-being and puts people first. Learn more here.

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