Do You Need a Digital Detox?

There’s a reason I’m talking about your phone on a nutrition and wellbeing blog.

Sleep.

Most people I see struggle with sleep in some way. It might be getting to sleep, waking during the night, waking too early, or simply getting to the morning and feeling as though they haven't really slept at all.

There can be lots of reasons for poor sleep; one theme that comes up again and again in my recommendations is the need to give your brain some proper downtime - how often do we actually switch off?

Our phones mean we can be connected to work, friends, social media, news, messages and information almost constantly. Even when we're not actively doing anything, there can be notifications waiting for us or the temptation to have 'just a quick look'.

Then we get into bed, pick up our phone and start scrolling.

Our body might be tired, but our brain is still very much switched on, which matters because sleep isn't just about how tired you feel the next day.  Poor sleep and ongoing stress can have far-reaching effects on our health, which is why sleep, stress and nervous system regulation are areas I revisit in almost every client programme in some way.

One of the simplest things we can do is create a little more space between being switched on all day and expecting our brains to suddenly switch off at bedtime.

And that brings us back to our phones.

We're asking a lot of our brains

Our phones have become so woven into everyday life that it's hard to remember what we did before them (I first wrote a version of this article nearly ten years ago – so much has changed even since then!)

They're our alarm clock, sat-nav, camera, diary, shopping list, bank, entertainment, news source and connection to friends and family. We use them for work, to organise our lives, listen to music, check the weather, order dinner and, of course, scroll through social media looking at nothing in particular (guilty here).

They're incredibly useful, but there’s a downside to having so much of our lives in one little device.

For many of us, checking our phone has become almost automatic. We reach for it while waiting for the kettle to boil, sitting at traffic lights, watching TV, having a coffee, or even in the middle of a conversation - one notification can easily turn into ten minutes of scrolling without really noticing.

Messages, emails, social media, news updates and work alerts all compete for our attention. Then, when evening comes, we expect ourselves to go from full-on to fast asleep.

What about blue light?

You'll often hear that the blue light from your phone is the main reason you shouldn't use it before bed.

There is some truth to this because evening exposure to light can certainly affect our body's natural sleep-wake signals, but it is perhaps too simplistic to blame everything on blue light.

Scrolling social media, replying to messages, checking work emails, watching videos, or reading the news keeps our brains engaged (and potentially in a stressed state) when we'd ideally be starting to wind down.

So yes, reducing bright screen exposure in the evening can be helpful. But so can giving your brain a genuine break from the constant stream of information.

Do you need a digital detox?

There are now plenty of retreats and holidays where you can hand over your phone and completely disconnect for a few days, as sometimes having someone else remove the temptation is exactly what we need.

Howevere, I'm not convinced that a few days without your phone necessarily changes the habits that caused the problem in the first place.

For most of us, a more useful approach is to look at how we use technology every day and make a few small, realistic changes.

You don't need to throw your phone away; you just need to make it a little easier for your brain to switch off.

7 ways to create a healthier relationship with your phone:

1. Find out how much you're actually using it

Before deciding that you need to spend less time on your phone, have a look at your Screen Time or Digital Wellbeing report.

Don't get too hung up on what the 'right' number is. The useful question is whether the time you're spending on your phone is giving you something you genuinely value, or whether a lot of it is simply habit.

2. Notice why you reach for it

Next time you pick up your phone, pause for a second and ask yourself: Why am I picking this up?

Are you bored? Tired? Looking for a distraction? Avoiding something? Feeling uncomfortable in a social situation? Or are you actually checking something you need?

You don't need to stop yourself every time. Just becoming more aware of the habit can be enough to start changing it.

3. Turn down the noise

You don't need to know about everything the moment it happens.

Go through your notifications and turn off anything that isn't genuinely useful.

You can also use features such as Focus modes, Screen Time or Do Not Disturb to create some boundaries around when your phone can interrupt you.

One simple trick I particularly like is setting Do Not Disturb to come on automatically at the same time every evening, while allowing calls or messages from the people you actually want to be able to reach you.

Your phone should work for you, rather than constantly demanding your attention.

4. Create some phone-free time

You don't have to spend an entire weekend living technology-free; try starting small.

Try having your morning coffee without your phone. Go for a walk without listening to anything. Eat dinner without a screen. Sit in the garden. Read a book. Do some gardening. Meet a friend and leave your phone in your bag.

Even 15–30 minutes of being properly present, without constantly checking what's happening elsewhere, can feel surprisingly different.

5. Protect your evenings

For many people, the problem isn't necessarily daytime phone use. It's what happens at night. You sit down to relax, pick up your phone, and suddenly it's an hour later.

Try creating a cut-off point for work emails and social media in the evening. If possible, give yourself some genuinely screen-free time before bed rather than scrolling right up until the moment you turn the light off.

And if your phone is your alarm clock, consider charging it somewhere that means you can't reach for it from bed.

Yes, you can still buy an alarm clock!

6. Make your phone slightly less convenient

We tend to repeat easy behaviours, so how about making the things you want to do less of slightly harder to access?

Move social media apps off your home screen. Log out. Delete the apps you find yourself mindlessly checking and use the desktop version instead.

You can also use apps designed to interrupt or block distracting apps during certain times. Opal is one example, although there are plenty of options available.

You don't need enormous amounts of willpower if you've changed the environment around you.

7. Replace the habit rather than simply removing it

This is an important one.

If you remove 30 minutes of scrolling but don't replace it with anything, you'll probably end up reaching for your phone again.

Think about what you'd actually like to have more time for. Reading? Walking? Exercise? Cooking? Seeing friends? A hobby you've neglected? Simply sitting outside with a cup of coffee?

Give yourself something else to reach for.

You probably don't need to give up your phone

I don't think having a healthy relationship with technology means being completely 'offline'.

Our phones are useful and, for most of us, they're here to stay.

The aim is simply to make sure that you are choosing when you use your phone, rather than your phone choosing for you.

And if sleep is something you're struggling with, it might be worth looking beyond what you're eating and drinking and considering how much opportunity you're giving your brain to actually switch off.

You don't necessarily need a digital detox holiday - you might just need to create a little more downtime in your everyday life.

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