Improve Sleep & Skin: Cut Screen Time Before Bed

August 7, 2025

Why Less Screen Time Before Bed Helps Your Sleep and Your Skin

Most of us spend the last minutes of the day scrolling on our phones or watching one more episode before bed. The problem is that the light from these screens can confuse our body’s natural rhythms and even ripple into how our skin looks. Cutting back on screen time before sleep is a simple habit that can help both your rest and your complexion¹.

How Light Affects Sleep

Your body relies on melatonin, often called the “sleep hormone,” to help you wind down. Melatonin levels rise in the evening, but they drop when your eyes are exposed to light. Blue light, the short-wavelength light that glows from phones and tablets, is especially powerful at suppressing melatonin². That’s why it feels harder to fall asleep after a late-night scrolling session.

The Connection Between Sleep and Skin

Sleep is when your body repairs itself. During deeper stages of rest, the skin ramps up collagen production and fixes daytime damage³. If your sleep is cut short or broken, this process is less effective, and the result can be dullness, fine lines, or slower healing. Studies show that people who sleep poorly have weaker skin barrier recovery and show more visible signs of aging over time⁴.

Melatonin also has direct effects in the skin. Your skin cells can produce and use melatonin as a local antioxidant, helping defend against free radicals from pollution or UV exposure⁵. When sleep is disrupted and melatonin cycles are off, you may be missing out on part of that protection.

Stress Hormones and Skin Flares

Poor sleep raises stress hormones like cortisol. Higher cortisol can worsen inflammatory skin conditions, such as acne and eczema, by pushing your immune system into overdrive⁶. Getting consistent, quality sleep helps keep those stress pathways in check.

Setting Up for Better Sleep

One of the easiest hacks is a “screen curfew.” Try shutting down phones, tablets, and laptops about an hour before bed. Swap them for winding-down rituals like reading, stretching, or a simple skincare routine. This helps signal to your body that it’s time to rest.

Other small changes matter too: keep your bedroom cool, dark, and quiet to create the right sleep environment⁷. If you do need to be on a device at night, turning on “night mode” or using blue-blocking glasses can reduce some of the impact on melatonin⁸, though they’re not a perfect fix.

The Takeaway

The blue light from your devices won’t burn your skin the way the sun does, but it does interfere with melatonin and disrupt your sleep. Poor sleep in turn shows up on your face — in tired eyes, slower healing, and a lack of radiance. By cutting back on screens before bed, you give your body (and your skin) the chance to repair and recharge.