Can a Digital Detox Improve Sleep and Anxiety?: The Experiment, Benefits, Takeaways

Not gonna lie—I don’t have the best sleep hygiene in the world. It’s gotten better over the years. I limit caffeine after the morning, try to get into bed early, and keep the lights in my house dim in the early evening. I also make sure not to do work or other stressful activities in the evening. But when it comes to screen time? Uhhhhh, yeah, I don’t really limit that at all.

As someone with an anxiety disorder and who is also in perimenopause, my sleep tends to be a bit of a mess. I typically don’t have much trouble falling asleep at night, but I wake often, and sometimes I’m up for a few hours in the middle of the night. And I definitely notice a correlation between activities like doomscrolling on my phone and frequent nighttime wake-ups.

To add insult to injury, when I sleep poorly, my anxiety tends to spike, which causes a never-ending cycle of sleeplessness and anxiousness. Not good. That’s why the idea of a nightly digital detox was intriguing to me. Something to fix my broken sleep cycles? Something to soothe my anxious soul? Sign me up.

Here, I’ll share what I learned about digital detoxes, how to do them, and what my week-long digital detox was like.

What Is a Digital Detox?

I will admit that when I first heard the term “digital detox,” I wasn’t exactly sure what it meant and what it included.

Michael S. Valdez, MD, medical director at Detox California explains that a digital detox “means avoiding screens, including smartphones, computers, and televisions, and any other digital devices that may be a source of blue light.”

“It is common to wind down from social media, work-related emails, and any other mentally taxing sources of information that contain blue light,” Dr. Valdez explains. Eliminating these can have a positive impact on your sleep as well as your anxiety, he says. Dr. Valdez recommends starting the digital detox at least one to two hours before going to bed, to give your brain time to relax and unwind.

And my favorite thing Dr. Valdez said? It’s not all-or-nothing when it comes to doing a digital detox. “It’s perfectly OK to not be overly strict with the rules, as everyone has their lifestyles, demands, and needs,” he shared. “Even simply turning off the phone an hour or two before going to bed can make a positive impact.” The main goal here is consistency, he emphasizes.

Benefits of a Digital Detox

So how does a digital detox positively impact sleep and anxiety? There are several tangible benefits to doing a digital detox.

Decreased Blue Light Exposure

The first benefit is the elimination of blue light in the evening hours. “Eliminating the use of digital devices in the latter half of the day drastically improves sleep quality thanks to the reduced exposure to blue light, which lowers melatonin production…” says Dr. Valdez.

Reduces Anxiety Triggers

Scrolling through your phone at night is typically not a great idea if you are prone to anxiety. It’s not just bad news (though there’s plenty of that!). It’s work emails and reminders of other obligations. It’s the stressors of social media in general. And it’s the overstimulation of your mind and thoughts.

Nervous System Shifts

By stepping away from screens, you’re “giving your nervous system a chance to shift into a calmer, more restful state,” says Tim Kleinknecht, LCSW, licensed clinical social worker and founder of Alpine Mind Therapy. This often leads to an easier time falling asleep, staying asleep, and generally feeling more grounded overall. It can also decrease your overall anxiety and boost your mental well-being.

Increased Silence

We don’t typically think of silence as a “thing,” but silence can be golden, especially at night. And it’s not just literal silence: it’s silence from the stresses and triggers from our digital devices. “Silence, combined with substitution of non-distracting content, results in relaxation as well as a seamless transition from sleepless to a restful state,” Dr. Valdez notes.

Slowing Down Thoughts

“Scrolling late at night can keep your mind in a reactive, alert state, especially if you’re reading stressful news or comparing yourself on social media,” Kleinknecht says. As such, shutting off your devices at night can slow down your thoughts or connect with thoughts in a slower, less stimulated way. This is especially helpful for people with anxiety, says Kleinknecht.

My Digital Detox Week

I’m going to be honest. I took Dr. Vadez’s advice and catered my digital detox to my lifestyle. I have found that going to sleep with the TV on is actually very soothing. My husband and I usually put on a silly sitcom from the ‘80s and ‘90s to fall asleep to. Yes, it’s a screen, but the truth is I only watch the first few minutes, and then usually drift off to sleep. So I didn’t eliminate this habit during my week of digital detox.

My real addiction is my phone and doomscrolling. Justine Carino, LMHC, a licensed mental health counselor at Carino Mental Health Counseling Services, confirmed that this is common and emphasized that it’s perfectly OK to focus on detoxing from one screen at a time, typically recommending her clients start with their phones.

“The phone tends to be the biggest trigger for anxiety and stress because that is where we start to look at our work emails, personal emails, and social media,” Carino describes. People often get triggered by something they see on an app and then begin to ruminate about it (*raises hand!*). This increases anxiety and interferes with sleep big-time.

“I like to keep it simple and encourage them to start with one device that typically occupies their time at night before bed—which tends to be people’s phone—and put it away 30 minutes before they would like to be asleep,” she says.

My Digital Detox Experience

I decided to eliminate the use of my phone for more than the 30 minutes Carino recommends starting with. I stopped scrolling my phone for the last hour and a half of each day for a week.

One caveat here: I did end up checking my phone right before I went to sleep, because I have two kids who sometimes text at night and an elderly parent who I am a main caregiver for. But I didn’t do any scrolling, and I put the phone away for at least 90 minutes before that last check.

Here’s how it went for me:

Day 1

This was the hardest day, because breaking routines can be super challenging. What I noticed most is that I kept reaching for my phone, without even meaning to. It was literally an instinct, a reflex. I would be doing something else, and boom!—my hand would reach out for my phone. But at least I was aware of it, and I only turned on the phone once before immediately putting it back on my bedside table. Win!

Day 2

On the second day, I still found myself reaching for my phone, but it felt more like an itch than a reflex. I would have the thought that I’d like to look at my phone, but I didn’t do anything about it. I ended up hanging out with my husband and kids during the hour before bed with no phones! It was lovely and I slept very well that night.

Day 3

I noticed I did a lot better with the “phone itch” on the third day. The only issue was that I was waiting for an email from one of my kid’s teachers. I didn’t think it would come that late in the evening, but I found myself wondering if maybe it would, and distractedly wanted to reach for my phone. I ended up not checking my phone before that last check-in. Spoiler alert: no email. I ended up sleeping well despite the anxiety before bed.

Day 4

On day four, I struggled to not reach for my phone again. Blerg. There was a distressing piece of breaking news I’d seen earlier in the day and I wanted to check my phone for updates. But I didn’t! And I noticed how much more at peace I felt during those evening hours compared to other times when breaking news stressed me out.

Day 5

Day five felt like a big win. I had some fleeting moments of wanting to reach for my phone, but I felt distanced from them—like someone on the outside, looking in. I got some reading done, had a good talk with my husband, and fell asleep easily, feeling happy and satisfied. Yay!

Day 6

Day six felt like a bit of a setback, though it wasn’t really my fault. I spent the last hour and a half before bed not looking at my phone and having a good evening. Then I checked it right before bed, and there were nine missed calls from my mom’s home health aide. I had to call her and help her manage a situation with my mom (it ended up being OK, just a hassle), and I ended up falling asleep late and quite frazzled.

Day 7

As much as day six sucked, it wasn’t because of my phone addiction, and by day seven, I felt the effects of the detox the most. Not only did I not reach for my phone, but I didn’t even have the passing thought that I’d like to reach for it. I slept great that night. What’s even cooler is that in the morning, when I typically open up my phone and scroll a bit before facing the day, I had much less of a desire to do that, too, and I only scrolled for about 30 seconds before starting my day.

Should You Do a Digital Detox for Sleep and Anxiety?

Experts agree that a digital detox is a great option if you’re someone who lives with anxiety and also has sleep issues, which often go hand in hand.

“I frequently recommend nighttime digital detoxes to clients who have trouble sleeping or staying asleep,” says Dr. Valdez. “Clients with disrupted sleep patterns, high levels of stress, or an overwhelming disconnection from their personal and family time are good candidates.”

Takeaways

If you are thinking of trying a digital detox, but aren’t sure if it’s right for you, Kleinknecht recommends doing a trial run for two weeks. “This is something I recommend often: getting started doesn’t mean anything permanent,” he says.

Importantly, you don’t have to be perfect with your digital detox. This isn’t about deprivation or strict rule-following. “It’s really about creating a more mindful nighttime routine, one that gives your body and brain a clear signal: ‘Hey, it’s time to rest,’” Kleinknecht concludes.

As for me, I think I’m going to stick to my nightly digital detox for at least another few weeks, because I think I need to do it longer to see its full effects. I’m hoping that—as I noticed on that last day—the benefits spill into my daytime hours more, and I’ll stop scrolling more during the day.

My prediction is that not only will I continue to have improved sleep and anxiety, but that I’ll be more productive and focused during work and in my interactions with others. Here’s hoping!