Sleep better. Start calmer.
The habit I had to break
Every evening I used to scroll in bed before trying to go to sleep. Then I’d wake and grab my phone before I’d even sat up. Sound familiar? It stole focus from my mornings and was destroying my sleep.
Two small changes fixed it: I leave my phone downstairs on my desk at night. I use a sunrise alarm to wake. The result: my days feel like they’ve gained about two extra hours. Mornings are calmer. Sleep feels better.
Why it works (evidence in plain English)
Light hitting your eyes sets your body clock. Blue-rich light in the evening delays melatonin and pushes sleep later. In a controlled study, reading on a light-emitting device before bed delayed the circadian clock and reduced next-morning alertness versus a paper book. Pubmed Article
Experts now recommend bright, blue-rich light by day and very low light in the evening and at night. A 2022 consensus suggests roughly ≥250 melanopic lux during the day, ≤10 melanopic lux in the 3 hours before bed, and ≤1 melanopic lux while sleeping. Translation: bright days, dim evenings, dark nights. Pubmed Article · Pubmed Article 2
Light during sleep is not harmless. One night at about 100 lux raised heart rate and worsened insulin sensitivity the next morning versus less than 3 lux. Keep bedrooms truly dark. Pubmed Article · Pubmed Article 2
Morning light does the opposite. It helps switch you on, suppresses leftover melatonin, and supports the normal cortisol-awakening response so you feel alert. Pubmed Article · Pubmed Article 2
A sunrise alarm adds a gentle pre-wake light ramp. Trials show it reduces sleep inertia and can improve post-wake performance. Pubmed Article · Giménez et al
Bottom line: less light at night, more light after waking. Move the phone out of the bedroom. Add dawn light in. Your biology does the rest.
This week’s plan
Make a “downstairs dock.”
Choose a fixed charging spot away from the bedroom. Put the cable there now. If you use your phone as an alarm, stop today and use a standalone alarm clock.
Get a sunrise alarm.
I’ve had a great experience with the Lumie Bodyclock. Set the light to start 25–30 minutes before your target wake-up. Keep the sound gentle. There are loads of other options but this is just what works for me.
I recommend avoiding traditional harsh digital tones for the alarm, my personal preference is bird sounds, but find what works best for you.
Check it out here on amazon. (Affiliate Link)
Dim the evening.
Three hours before bed: switch to low, warm lamps. Avoid overheads. If you must use screens, turn on Night Shift/blue-reduced modes and keep devices at arm’s length. The real win is less light, not just “blue-blocking”. Cochrane finds blue-light glasses don’t reliably improve sleep (we will try and cover this in more detail in a future blog – subscribe if you’re interested).
Chase daylight on waking.
Open curtains immediately. Step outside for 10–30 minutes if you can, even if it’s cloudy. If not, sit by the brightest window while you have your morning drink.
Keep nights dark.
Blackout blinds, off or taped-over LEDs, and an eye mask if needed. Aim for near-dark during sleep. Your heart and metabolism will thank you.
Track it (so you can see the win)
As always habits stick better when you can track them and see the impact and benefits here’s how you can track this one:
Screen time:
- iPhone: Settings → Screen Time → Pickups, Notifications, Most Used
- Android: Settings → Digital Wellbeing
Watch for: fewer pickups after bedtime, later first pickup after waking, and a drop in total daily minutes.
Sleep notes: jot down bedtime, wake time, time-to-sleep, and morning mood for 7 days.
How it should feel: calmer evenings, faster sleep onset, easier mornings, fewer “where did the last 40 minutes go?” moments.
I’m considering putting together a free PDF guide / tool to help people track and adopt this habit – if you’d like this drop me an email here and ask for one and I’ll build it and send it over.
Common pitfalls and easy fixes
“But I read on my phone.” Use a paper book or a basic e-ink reader in a warm lamp pool. The e-reader vs paper result is clear, paper is the best, but ink screen with soft lighting is significantly better than a smart phone.
“I need my phone for emergencies.” Make your dock outside the bedroom on loud with specific allowed callers (you can easily configure this in settings on the phone). Keep a simple alarm clock on the bedside.
“Blue-blocking glasses will sort it.” They’re not a magic fix. Dim the environment first.
“My room isn’t dark enough.” Start with an eye mask tonight. Order blackout liners when you can.
Do this week
- Tonight: move the charger, set the sunrise alarm, switch off overhead lights after 9pm.
- Tomorrow morning: open curtains and get 10 minutes of outdoor light before touching your phone.
If you want more
Set Downtime on iPhone or Bedtime mode on Android from one hour before bed to one hour after wake. Let the system lock you out of time-sinks.
Thanks for reading
I hope you’ve found this helpful. I plan to release one of these blogs every week to share evidence based tips, tools and techniques that I’ve found to be helpful optimising health, happiness and productivity. If that sounds interesting to you please follow this link to subscribe.
See you next Sunday!!
Harry
