Write this down on paper, you’ll need it once you’ve put your laptop and gadgets away: “What anyone else thinks of me is none of my business.” The time is 9pm, bed time is on the horizon, and if you’re checking your retweets, how many people still like you on Facebook, or the number of hearts you’ve won on Instagram, the chances of getting off to a good night’s sleep are as slim as the chip in your smartphone.
Why? Because craning your neck over your social feeds and squinting at tiny text messages just before bed delays and disturbs your sleep pattern. This in turn has a detrimental effect on your skin, manifesting in fine lines and dark circles around the eyes.
The downside to dabbling in social media or work at night is well documented. A stack of research confirms it, and no restaurant outing is without a bit of a moan on the pressure to be connected around the clock, and the social or professional thorns that go with it.
But there’s a less talked about reason why #digitalcurfew is not trending on Twitter. “A lot of digital interaction before bed is an avoidance tactic,” says psychotherapist and beauty journalist Jess Henley. “It’s a fear of what might steal into our minds if we switch our devices off. If you’re watching Netflix, or emailing on your iPhone, it stops you from getting in touch with what you’re feeling.”
Does that matter? “The brain asks for space and time to log and digest what’s happened over a busy day before going to sleep – to allow thoughts to naturally percolate. If that phase is blocked out, you’re left with an unhealthy deficit that potentially messes with your mind.”
Skimping on necessary cognitive processes in favour of entertainment is one thing. Learning helpful distractions to guide the analytical mind into unconsciousness is another.
“You need to switch on your imagination – opening your capacity to dream – which will switch off the analytical, function-hungry areas of your brain,” says Tim Smale, a hypnotherapist who integrates cognitive behavioural therapy and neuro-linguistic programming techniques into his “mind coaching” and has a reputation for getting politicians and popstars through stage fright, addictions, insomnia and tough times. “That’s what counting sheep and hypnotherapy is: a deliberate, routine distraction for the busy, analytical mind that anyone can do.”
Anyone? “Literally give yourself permission to sleep. Focus on each section of your body in turn, suggesting: ‘My feet are heavy and relaxed, my calves are heavy and relaxed,’ and so on,” says Smale. “Then start a visualisation. Take your mind somewhere beautiful, imagine yourself there in glorious colour, and now storyboard. It can be walking slowly from the top steps of an idyllic veranda, through a huge garden to a lake, before lying down on a blanket – anything that feels wondrous and warm. It’s about taking in the detail of what you can see and hear. This helps transport the mind into a happy dream state, and sleep.”
In the morning, well-rested and at your desk, why not embrace one of Smale’s most valuable digital detox tips? This one takes just a second: “Give yourself permission to delete emails. I don’t have a hard rule, just two guidelines. Is it relevant? Is it urgent? If someone’s chosen to send me an email, it doesn’t mean that I must take the time to respond. There aren’t enough hours in the day.”
