Give screens a bedtime boundary
Keep a short wind-down before bed free of videos, games and scrolling.
Not ratedgeneral health evidence
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; we say so because 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 The benefit score is an editorial prioritization for the general list, weighted by certainty. It is not a prediction of 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.