Are you trading sleep for screen time? Ayurvedacharya Dr Partap Chauhan shares 4 tips to avoid late-night phone habit

Discover Ayurvedacharya Dr Partap Chauhan's expert tips to overcome late-night phone use and create healthier sleep habits for a more restful night.

It usually begins with “only five minutes". An innocuous Instagram scroll, yet another clip, some chatting, or a quick email review can quickly turn into an hour or more. The phone is the last thing many people check before falling asleep and the first thing they reach for when they wake up in the morning. While the digital age is an integral part of our lives today, staying connected late into the night can restrict individuals from switching off from the day. In Ayurvedic medicine, this behavior can also be analyzed through the lens of dinacharya, which means maintaining balanced daily routines, and the importance of proper sleep.

Why does using a phone late at night prevent the brain from shutting down?

Nighttime phone use is not simply about the device itself. “Social networks, news, direct messages, and entertaining short videos provide a constant stream of new information and stimulation,” Dr Partap Chauhan, celebrity Ayurvedacharya, wellness ambassador, and pioneer of Ayurvedic telemedicine, tells Health Shots. Instead of letting the mind relax, scrolling keeps it active.

The Ayurvedic perspective: Acknowledge the night's rhythm

Traditional Ayurvedic principles place great importance on living in accordance with natural rhythms and timeframes. Dinacharya promotes stable daily routines, such as sleep patterns, eating habits, and physical activity. A digital bedtime routine that involves late-night browsing undermines this stability. Staying up late because of screen use hinders the body’s ability to prepare for sleep promptly. Instead of treating sleep as the spare time left after everything else, make it a priority.

1. Set up a “digital sunset”: One effective way to do this is to set a time before bed to gradually put your screens away. Begin with 30 minutes if an hour seems unreasonable. Switch off notifications, keep your phone out of bed, and avoid emotionally charged topics.
2. Substituting the scrolling action with a bedtime ritual: The aim is not only to ditch the phone; it is to replace the unpleasant habit with a relaxing one. For instance, several pages of a book, breathing exercises, quiet reflection, light background music, or a few minutes of meditation can all be incorporated into an individual's bedtime ritual. From an Ayurvedic point of view, consistency is especially important. A relatively simple, straightforward routine can be more effective than a complex one, even if the complex one is used regularly.
3. Don't bring tomorrow's stress into bed: Using the phone at night is also harmful because it exposes you to work-related messages, bad news, social comparison, and other information while you are trying to slow down your active thinking. Try implementing a short “mental closing ceremony”. Write down the tasks for the following day, recognize what you've done, and allow yourself to stop working.
4. The message to the brain is clear: The day is over; it is time to sleep. A calm, cozy, and clean sleeping space also helps to create the bond between the bedroom and sleep.

The price we pay for staying tuned in should not be sleep

Technology isn’t an enemy; the real problem is that we let it dictate when the day is over. The Ayurveda-influenced approach calls for paying attention to our habits and noticing when modern lifestyle gets in the way of natural rest periods. You don't have to give up your smartphone completely; you need to remember to draw the line. So tonight, before you scroll down the next video or check another notification, stop for a minute and ask yourself a simple question: Am I making a conscious choice about my screen time, or am I sacrificing my sleep to it? At times, the healthiest notification is the one you don’t respond to.

(Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.)