Sleeping earlier is one of my health goals for this year, but it’s actually something I’ve struggled with for years. The lack of accountability was a problem, which is why I wrote my 2026 Health Goals post. It worked in helping me stay consistent with my other health goals, but when it comes to sleeping earlier, even accountability hasn’t been enough.
So I decided to reflect more deeply. Why was I able to build certain habits, yet still feel stuck with this one? I needed to understand what makes this habit different, and what’s holding me back.
Doomscrolling is holding me back
Although I’ve managed to stop doomscrolling during the day, as my hobbies have taken its place, I fall back into it at night, right before bed. The problem is there is no replacement. So when I’m lying in bed with nothing to transition me into sleep, I instinctively reach for my phone.
It isn’t because I want to scroll, but a habit that runs on autopilot. There is barely a conscious decision involved. It’s muscle memory, a conditioned response, and a familiar routine.
The problem with doomscrolling before bed
There are all sorts of videos and content online, and I will not know what I’m going to come across. It could be something neutral, but it could also be something exciting, thought provoking, or emotionally triggering, and that’s the problem.
Sometimes I suddenly gain a burst of inspiration. An idea for a blog post, a new goal, or something that makes me feel tempted to try immediately. What was supposed to be winding down turns into brainstorming, planning, or mentally reorganising my life.
The content can also make me feel alert by stirring up emotions, filling me with curiousity, envy, or even anxiety. My mind starts processing, analysing, or comparing. Instead of slowing down, my thoughts speed up.
Sleep requires calmness and a gradual softening of awareness, but doomscrolling does the opposite. It feeds my brain with new information, new stimulation, and new emotions. So even if my body feels tired, my mind becomes awake, making falling asleep become harder.
The solution
Habits can’t simply be removed, they need to be replaced. So my plan is to replace nighttime doomscrolling with one of my favourite hobbies, gaming. It still involves using a phone, but not my main phone that’s filled with social media and endless feeds.
Instead, I’ll switch to a separate phone that only has a few cozy, low stimulation games that are suitable for winding down in bed. That will be my designated bedtime phone, something I can reach for without being pulled into scrolling.
I’m still trying to build the habit of reaching for my designated bedtime phone instead of my main one when I get into bed. It doesn’t feel automatic yet, but that’s part of the process.
As always mentioned, life is an ongoing journey of figuring out. For now, I’m aiming for just a small shift. If this change can help me sleep even slightly earlier, that’s already progress. When this habit starts to feel more natural, I’ll then take it a step further and begin shaping my ideal bedtime.