Habit swap

Phone in bed vs journaling: write tomorrow down, then sleep

Most late-night scrolling is a busy mind looking for somewhere to go. A notebook gives it somewhere better.

Drop

Phone in bed

Screens in bed delay sleep and leave you groggy. No phone for 30 minutes before bed helps you sleep sooner.

How to quit

Build

Journaling

Write a few lines each day to clear your head and reflect.

How to build it

The verdict: Journaling wins, as long as it is the right kind. A quick to-do list or a few things you are grateful for helps you settle. Open-ended venting has weaker evidence.

Side by side

Phone in bed vs journaling

Phone in bedJournaling

Falling asleep: Phone in bed: Screens delay sleep.; Journaling: A to-do list helped people fall asleep faster.
Your mind: Phone in bed: More input, more to think about.; Journaling: Thoughts written down and parked.
Light: Phone in bed: A bright screen inches from your face.; Journaling: A bedside lamp.
Time: Phone in bed: "Five minutes" that becomes an hour.; Journaling: Five minutes, then lights out.
Next morning: Phone in bed: Groggy and less alert.; Journaling: A list ready for the day.

What it costs

The case against phone in bed

Later, lighter sleep

Reading on a light-emitting screen before bed delayed sleep, lowered melatonin, reduced REM sleep and left people less alert the next morning.

Source: PNAS, Chang et al. 2015

Most people feel it

About 38% of adults say screens at bedtime make their sleep worse. For 18 to 24 year olds it is nearly half.

Source: AASM

Better sleep when you stop

People who put their phone away 30 minutes before bed for four weeks fell asleep faster, slept longer and had better working memory.

Source: PLOS ONE, He et al. 2020

What you gain

The case for journaling

Fall asleep faster

People who spent 5 minutes writing a to-do list at bedtime fell asleep about 9 minutes faster than those who wrote about tasks they had finished. The more specific the list, the faster they fell asleep.

Source: J Exp Psychology, Scullin et al. 2018

Gratitude helps you settle

Grateful people slept longer and better and fell asleep faster, through calmer, more positive thoughts before sleep.

Source: Wood et al. 2009

Devices in the bedroom cost sleep

Children with a phone or tablet in the bedroom at night were more likely to sleep too little and badly, even when they did not use it.

Source: JAMA Pediatrics, Carter et al. 2016

The swap

How to make the swap in Streako

1
Add a Yes / No habit called "Phone out of bed", every day, with a reminder at 22:30.
2
Add "Journal" as a Yes / No habit: Done, every day.
3
When you plug your phone in, outside the bedroom, pick up the notebook and write tomorrow’s to-do list.
4
Check in on both each night. Two streaks, one swap: every day you stay clear is also a day you did something better.

FAQ

Phone in bed vs journaling: common questions

Keep it short and specific: tomorrow’s to-do list, or three things that went well today. Both have evidence behind them.

For this swap, paper is better. The phone brings the screen and the notifications back into bed.

Five minutes is enough. The point is to clear your head, not to write an essay.

General information, not medical advice. If you are worried about your health, talk to a doctor.

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Swap one habit this week

Drop one, build one, and check in on both each night.

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streako.app/swap/phone-in-bed-vs-journaling

Phone in bed vs journaling: write tomorrow down, then sleep

Phone in bed vs journaling

The case against phone in bed

Later, lighter sleep

Most people feel it

Better sleep when you stop

The case for journaling

Fall asleep faster

Gratitude helps you settle

Devices in the bedroom cost sleep

How to make the swap in Streako

Phone in bed vs journaling: common questions

What should I write?

Can I journal on my phone?

How long should it take?

More habit swaps

Caffeine vs water

Doomscrolling vs reading

Gaming binges vs exercise

Swap one habit this week