How long before bed should you stop looking at your cell phone to get a good night’s sleep?

81% of French people consult their mobile phone before going to bed, according to an Ifop survey conducted in January 2024. As early as 2019, the National Institute of Sleep and Vigilance recommended a “digital curfew” before bed. And for good reasons. screens, their content, and the blue light they emit make it difficult to fall asleep. How long before you go to your room do you have to stop looking at your cell phone to get back to peaceful nights?

At least 30 minutes ago

To give your body and brain the ideal conditions for sleep, you should put your phone away from 30 minutes to 2 hours before going to bed, depending on the profile, says Professor Pierre Philippe, head of the Department of Sleep Medicine at the University Hospital of Bordeaux. Purposeful? Avoid exposure to blue light from screens, which disrupts the production of melatonin, also called the sleep hormone. The latter increases in the evening, signaling to our brain that it is time to sleep, it rises at night and falls when we wake up. “Blue light exposure can therefore push back the peak of melatonin secretion, causing sleep delay,” comments the doctor.

That being said, a large number of options and programs today offer the ability to turn off blue light at certain times, says Pierre-Philippe, which reduces the risk of disrupting sleep. “Ultimately, the question is not so much ‘when to stop watching’, but first of all, ‘what to watch?'” he continues. Studies show, in particular, that the nature of the exchanges or the visuals we are exposed to can prevent us from achieving a state conducive to sleep.” If we read a novel or an article that is somewhat boring, we hardly stay awake. On the other hand, if we scroll through social media posts or watch an anxiety-inducing news program, we’re more prone to repeated waking episodes, the doctor adds.

The question to ask is not so much “when to stop looking” but more importantly “what to look at?”

Professor Pierre Philippe, sleep specialist

Without forgetting that “smartphone notifications trigger an immediate cognitive reaction, creating an alert signal that alters sleep quality. Therefore, I advise you to turn off communication during the night, for example, by turning on airplane mode,” comments Pierre-Philippe.

After these precautions are taken, we take care to combine all the conditions to facilitate our sleep. We prefer an early dinner before going to bed, we stop any intense sports activity 2-3 hours before going to bed. The closer we get to our bedtime, the more we reduce the brightness of our environment. You can do some stretching or breathing exercises to relax.