Doomscrolling it’s affecting your Sleep Health

 Doomscrolling is a new term referring to the habit of scrolling through bad news, even though that news is saddening, disheartening, or depressing. Large numbers of people are finding themselves reading continuously bad news. The Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated this habit with people stranded in their homes increasing  the ever scrolling of Google news, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.  The news cycle has gotten more intense and the constant stream of bad news and social media never ends. And so, unfortunately, so does our morbid curiosity or fear of missing out on something important. This self-destructive behavior of Doomscrolling can seriously disrupt your sleep and your overall health.

This constant barrage of bad news can lead to difficulty falling asleep and eventually insomnia. Poor sleep can provoke symptoms of depression in some individuals. Chronic sleep problems can exacerbate depression, leading to a negative cycle between depression and sleep that can be challenging to break.

Doomscrolling can increase levels of cortisol and adrenaline, which are stress hormones. Research has shown that chronic levels of elevated stress hormones are associated with many physical health issues, including heart disease, diabetes, and obesity.

So, what can you do to scroll without so much doom?

It is important to our overall health and wellbeing that we practice self-care and find balance in our lives. One good solution is by logging off. Start by cutting back and creating boundaries for your social media and news scrolling use. Do your best to not scroll the 2 hours before bedtime. It is not only the doom and gloom of the media, but using tablets, smartphones, laptops, or other electronic devices before bed delays your body’s internal clock (circadian rhythm), which suppresses the release of the sleep-inducing hormone melatonin, making it even more difficult to fall asleep.

10 Tips to Better Sleep

Swap out the doom and gloom with happier things

Whether it’s connecting with family or sending funny memes to friends, these are the things we should try and spend more time doing. This will help to build up more positive emotions in our lives. And who couldn’t use more of those?

If you feel you may have a sleep problem. Call our office and make an appointment with one of our sleep medicine professionals. We currently have Tele Medicine Virtual visits as well as in-office appointments. Let us help you to Say Hello to Sleep Again.

Comprehensive Sleep Care Center has 9 locations in Virginia and Maryland (Alexandria, Arlington, Bethesda, Chantilly, Dumfries, Germantown, Lansdowne, Manassas, Woodbridge).