Canadian Study Reveals Bedtime Phone Use May Not Hurt Sleep

You've probably heard it a thousand times. Put down your phone before bed, or you'll toss and turn all night. What if that bedtime scrolling advice isn't as black and white as we've been told?

Recent research from Canadian universities challenges the usual line about screens and sleep, and the findings might surprise you. Scientists surveyed over 1,300 adults across Canada and discovered no clear connection between bedtime phone use and poor sleep quality.

Even more intriguing, both frequent bedtime scrollers and those who rarely touch their phones reported better sleep than moderate users. The researchers suggest that age and how you use your device may have more impact than blue light exposure itself.

What this means for your nightly routine

So where does that leave your bedtime phone habits? The answer is not simply screens bad, sleep good. Small tweaks help, and experts recommend turning off devices early, moving phones to another room, creating consistent routines, and silencing alerts.

The real move is intentional use. Are you a heavy user with a steady pattern, or stuck in the Canadian study's messy middle? Your age, chronotype, and content all shape the impact.

Pro tip: If you're going to use your phone before bed, try to stick to calming activities rather than stimulating ones. Reading an e-book might be less disruptive than scrolling through social media, and checking tomorrow's weather forecast is probably better than diving into a heated online debate.

Try a two-week check-in. Track when you use your phone, what you do, and how you sleep. If you're a consistent heavy user and feel rested, the Canadian findings suggest you might not need a big overhaul. If you're an inconsistent moderate user with groggy mornings, pick a lane: either set a tight, reliable routine or cut down on bedtime screen time.

The conflicting research still leads to a liberating point. There is no universal right answer. Your best approach depends on your demographics, lifestyle, chronotype, and how your brain responds to digital stimulation. Aim for habits that work with your biology, not against it.

Bottom line, while the science keeps evolving, your own feedback loop is the best guide. If you sleep well and wake up refreshed, your current routine might be fine, no matter what the latest headline says. If sleep quality or duration is tanking, trimming bedtime screen time remains one of the simplest, most evidence-backed fixes to try.