Sleeping with your phone? 5 ways to break that habit
“So what?” you say. “Come on, now stop telling me that it’s bad; as if you’ve NEVER been sleeping with your phone.” Is that what you’re going to retort me with?
Well, YES. I’ve been guilty here until exactly 10 days ago.
That was until I got some sharp rebuts from my better half about how I’ve been numbing myself from the real milieu of my home, special moments with my daughter & some real conversations that could have been. I’ve always been following this habit of sleeping 2 hours after dinner. But why is it so damn hard to toss the phone away from your sight? About a fortnight ago, I came to realize that I was missing out some of my daughter’s intriguing questions. Be it her puppy eyes gleaming in search of approval to which colors she can use to paint a particular picture. Or my guilty self shrinking her bedtime stories short, so that I can check my WhatsApp messages & emails just before I sleep. And, of course, a ‘few’ YouTube videos to feel ‘lighter’ before hitting the sack. Well, YouTube has ALWAYS been synonymous with a MAZE to me! And I guess, it must be the same for you too.
Yes. And for all that, I’ve felt guilty AF.
I must admit, that ever since I began blogging, checking out phone notifications became more frequent than ever. Of course, I’ve uninstalled apps like Facebook & Twitter long back. But, it still wasn’t enough, when Instagram & WhatsApp were always edging my mind over a feeble FoMo (Fear of Missing Out). As bloggers, we need to be quite active & responsive over social media. But, turning unintentionally agnostic to our actual social world & family should never be a repercussion.
I totally sensitize myself to your job, that calls for your generous online availability. Because, it’s pretty similar to what my husband was expected of, at several instances. Yet, his ways of disconnecting from his phone are what I call extremely enterprising.
Hence, siphoning a lot of inspiration from him, I figured out 5 fool-proof ways to stop sleeping with your phone:
1. Charge Away
This is one interesting way, my husband detoxifies his mind from the hustle-bustle of the office followed by the crazy traffic. As soon as he gets home, he puts his phone for charging away from where he’s going to be spending his next 1 hour. This way, you make the transition of the ambience from a tiring to a happy & welcoming one very easy.
From the past 10 days, I’ve been doing the same. I charge my phone in a different room when it’s close to draining & I’m done with my work.
Engage with your family or friends/roomies while your phone is quietly charging away from you. I bet my boots, you wouldn’t yearn for your phone dose while that one casual conversation unwinds to a really heartening & relaxing one!
2. Keep Calm & Uninstall
Uninstall Apps like Facebook & Twitter whose notifications are neither urgent nor important; but only do their best in distracting you 24/7.
Also, MUTE yourself from uneventful WhatsApp groups. I know we’re all part of some weird WhatsApp group(s) that we’re obliged to not quit. 😐
3. Wake up to a REAL alarm to stop sleeping with your phone
Okay, you’re sleeping with your phone just because it’s your alarm? Not any more. Our parents never slept beside a mobile phone to wake them up in the morning. Did they?
Get hold of the old-school alarm clock & maybe, even surprise the guy at the electronic gadgets shop by buying it! 😉
4. Hail the Blocking / DND Mode
What if emergency calls strike you in the middle of the night? From your parents or people really close to you?
Well, in all smartphones, both IPhone & Android, you’ll find the Blocking mode/ Do Not Disturb Mode. When else would it come handy?
This way, you can limit incoming calls to only the contacts you ALLOW.
5. Switch off WiFi/ Mobile Data
More preferably, you could switch off your WiFi / Mobile Data to cut yourself from the harmful radiations while you sleep & also keep your phone at least 2 meters away from your body.
Like I said in this post before, the blue light emitted by your screen damages your ability to sleep, leaves you cranky & irritable for the next day & thus horribly disturbs your moods & capacity to be productive. Not just that, the dangers of the radiations around your phone might just mess up with your health to leave you with a room full of regret.
Therefore, I & Shilpa Gupte of Metanoia are hosting a 7-DAY DETOX SMART NIGHTS CHALLENGE starting today till November 7.
So, we’d be pumped if you’d take this challenge up & join us in helping you overcome the habit of sleeping with your phone & everybody else who’s caught in the same cobweb.
Share your experience if you’re taking up the challenge or a story of yours as you struggled overcome the habit for good. Link up with us using the linky below:
Add this cool badge to your post & share it on all your social media handles with the #Phonedetox hashtag, visit others’ & share the motivation.
I Love this challenge. Good and motivating way to enjoy the phone detox days through this challenge.
I am not addicted to my phone. I have no apps on it. And yeah, I do still believe in the ancient alarm clock. I guess I am lucky that my folks are also not attached to their phones.
It is scary to see toddlers constantly staring at the screen and doing stuff so dexterously!
Good tips, Ashvini!
The charge away is our saviour .Great tips to detox from phone usage
We always put are phones away in our study which is at the fag end of the house and don’t sleep with our phones. We also have the manual alarm clocks we used in earlier times and only use them for alarm purposes. We have followed this for the past 6 odd years and will definitely continue. Apart from the obvious addiction to phone and the resulting sleep deprivation, another scary thing about it is the radio waves…Thankfully we don’t have this habit and glad you have decided to do away with it too. All the best to you and Shilpa for the detox program.
I have retained certain apps on my phone so that it is easy to download stuff and share on social media..like my drawings. But, yes, since some time now, I keep my phone wifi off during the day…I leave it to charge and it stays quiet. I have put all the groups on Whatsapp on silent, whichever they may be. That much more peace for me! ?
And, because of my Cookie, who wakes me up at the dot of 7 everyday, I don’t need an alarm! I do place my phone beside me just in case mom calls at night esp when she finds it difficult to sleep…I also use the phone to check the time if I wake up in the middle of the night as I can’t read the time on the clock without my glasses. But, that’s all….Even if I can’t sleep at night, I keep lying in bed, but never pick up the phone as I used to, once upon a time. That does feel so good!
It’s a good thing you came up with this challenge, Ashvini!
I used to turn off my WiFi but have been guilty of having it back on again. I am kinda addicted to my phone but also because I use relaxing music at night before bed that is streamed through Spotify. And yes, I use the alarm too. Having said that, I don’t have FB or notifications for most things on my phone. And I do have DND on. iPhone now monitors your screen time and I’ve been making an effort to reduce mine as a result.
My Kindle is the only device I keep near me at night. The phone is on DND and I have two live alarm clocks – my dogs! ?
Great challenge and very necessary.
I don’t switch off my wifi, but it’s not a bad idea. The temptation to peep into your mobile for one last time before sleeping is too great to resist, switching off the wifi will definitely help in keeping it in check. I have linked my post on the linky. Do share your thoughts too!
Great initiative. Your tips are more helpful. Smart the nights, better the sleep. Happy to join with you for this challenge.