There are two hormones that play a significant role in sleep: melatonin and cortisol. At night, melatonin levels increase in the body, while cortisol levels fall. In the morning, the opposite happens, and increasing cortisol levels signal to your brain that it's time to rise and shine. Cortisol is commonly known as the stress hormone, and for that reason, it's crucial to avoid any activities that trigger anxiety late at night, explained Allison Brager, PhD, a neuroscientist who studies sleep physiology and sleep specialist for Molecule. That includes doomscrolling through Twitter and watching the news.
Dr. Kansagra also recommends powering down your devices at least 30 minutes before bed (an hour is even better!), because the blue light they emit can mess with your body's natural sleep signals, by suppressing the production of melatonin.
And if you just can't put those devices away at night, Aaron Hartman, MD, a functional medicine physician, suggests downloading f.lux. This app adjusts the display screen to match the warmer colours of your evening environment. "Forcing technology on your eyes all day long until you go to bed is a recipe for sleep disaster," Dr. Hartman told POPSUGAR. "It has huge impacts on your melatonin and cortisol levels and activates your brain to be awake and alert."