Give screens a bedtime boundary
Not ratedgeneral health evidence
Keep a short wind-down before bed free of videos, games and scrolling.
Start with the time you have
1 minute
Pick the quiet thing you'll do after screens this evening.
5 minutes
Work out a screen stopping time that leaves a short wind-down before bed.
15 minutes
Try the first part of your wind-down with reading or another quiet screen-free activity.
How sure the science is
Not rated, general health evidence
- No pooled trials to rate.
- This rests on single studies, expert consensus or clinical practice.
- Measured in the general population.
- ADHD trials of this do not exist or are too small.
General CDC sleep guidance and NHS adult ADHD self-care advice, supported by ADHD sleep-risk evidence; no formal certainty rating.
The number, drawn
Why it matters
- General sleep guidance recommends a screen-free stretch before bed, and the NHS page on adult ADHD also suggests avoiding screens close to bedtime.
- Sleep difficulties are common in ADHD, and protecting sleep is reason enough to try this.
- It does not establish that screens cause ADHD, or that cutting back on gaming treats ADHD symptoms.
How to do it
- Pick a stopping point before the time you mean to go to bed.
- When it comes, switch to something quiet, like reading.
- If sleep stays hard, go through your whole sleep pattern with a clinician.
Putting it into practice
In real life
- Finish a game before the wind-down period starts.
- Swap the last video for a few pages of a book.
Watch out for
- Common mistakeIf cutting screens leaves you no way to wind down, the rule may not stick. Pick a quiet replacement.
- Common mistakeOngoing insomnia needs more than a screen rule. Ask for help if it affects daily life.
Trusted guides
How we rated it
- Evidence grade
- B Trials in ADHD with low certainty, or strong general health evidence with a sourced reason it matters more with ADHD.
- The number
- Turn off electronic devices at least 30 minutes before bedtime (CDC, 2024)
- Benefit
- 53/100 An editorial priority for the general list, weighted by certainty. It does not predict what will happen for you.
- Effort
- Quick win
Sources
- Tier 1 guidelineAbout SleepCDC, 2024
- Tier 1 guidelineInsomniaNHS, 2024
- Tier 2 studyThe impacts associated with having ADHD: an umbrella reviewFrontiers in Psychiatry, 2024
- Tier 1 guidelineADHD in adultsNHS, 2025
- General information about ADHD, not a diagnosis or an individual treatment plan.
- Tailoring changes the order of suggestions; it does not assess you.
- Medication decisions belong with you and a qualified clinician.