When my alarm goes off in the morning i can hardly wake up because i stay up late being on my phone.I realized that being on my phone before sleeping gives me the urge to stay up longer, even though i am very tired.This then causes me to be lazy the whole day and not want to do anything but sleep. I’m not able to focus in class, do my work, or even conversate with people because I’m just so tired.
This habit first started when I got a phone. I started getting addicted to exploring apps and new games. This then led to my need to be on my phone every night before going to sleep. The bad part about it is that by the time i got a phone i was too old for “bedtime” so i was managing my own time and decided what time i wanted to sleep.
On the first day I did my nightly routine, got in bed at about 9 pm, talked to my sister for a bit since we share a room, then I went on my phone as usual. I scrolled through tik tok for about an hour then i started getting tired. If you are on tik tok you know how addicting it is, you always end up on the video after and the one after that, and the one after that and so on. It can honestly go on forever. That day I did not sleep until it was about 11 which shows that i failed that day completely.
Day two I did the same routine and ended up in bed by 9 again. This time though I started a conversation with my sister and kept it going hoping that I would distract myself from my phone and hopefully sleep without it. After a while my sister got tired and I gaslighted myself that it was a sign for me to get on my phone so I could sleep, and so I did. This just proves that I wasn’t committed to the challenge quite yet since I failed the first 2 days already.
Day three, I started feeling like it was impossible for me to sleep without my phone. I decided to try a new method of getting into bed when my little siblings do, that way i can get comfortable faster and hopefully get tired enough so i can sleep earlier and without being on my phone. When my mom takes my little brother, whom I share a room with as well, to sleep she tells him stories. It’s ironic because I would always fall asleep to my mom’s stories before I ever got a phone. So i thought to myself if it worked back then it might work now.
After a while of listening to my moms stories I started to get sleepy. However normally when my brother falls asleep my mom leaves the room right away. So before I got the chance to fully fall asleep she left so then I woke up again. Yes, you guessed it, I went on my phone.
Day four, at this point I was angry with myself and confused on how much of a hold my phone has on me. It takes so much time out of my day and I got so used to it that I can’t even sleep without it anymore. I tried the same method i did the day before but this time i promised myself that no matter what i was NOT gonna go on my phone.
I was beginning to fall asleep when my mom left the room again. This time though I didn’t even open my eyes I just kept them closed and started to think about what tomorrow was going to look like, and without even noticing I fell fully asleep. I woke up the next morning, the sunlight shining on my face. The following days, I decided to use this winning technique and I finally felt confident that I was going to be able to sleep without having to use my phone. Everyday for the rest of the challenge this was my method to getting a full night’s rest and not having to pick up my phone.
In the beginning, it felt impossible for me to not use my phone before I went to bed, but I put my all into it and was able to accomplish my 7 day challenge, even if I started on the 4th day. I learned that I just enjoy being on my phone too much and that I was becoming addicted to it so I gaslighted myself into thinking that I need it in order to sleep. I’ve continued to use this method even after the challenge as over and my sleep continues to get better. I felt rested when I wake up and no longer feel tired.
