# Give screens a bedtime boundary

Published by Pawel Jozefiak. [About this project](https://adhd100.jock.pl/about/), [How we check sources](https://adhd100.jock.pl/methodology/)

- Canonical: https://adhd100.jock.pl/screens-before-sleep/
- Language: en
- First published: 2026-09-29
- Evidence checked: 2026-09-29, using AI-assisted source verification
- Clinical review: Not clinically reviewed
- Number 49 of 100 in the list: https://adhd100.jock.pl/#screens-before-sleep

Keep a short wind-down before bed free of videos, games and scrolling.

**The number:** Turn off electronic devices at least 30 minutes before bedtime ([CDC, 2024](https://www.cdc.gov/sleep/about/index.html))

## The evidence

- How sure: Certainty of evidence: Not rated. Measured in the general population; we say so because ADHD trials of this do not exist or are too small.
- Evidence grade: B. Grade B: trials in ADHD with low certainty, or strong general health evidence with a sourced reason it matters more with ADHD.
- Basis: General CDC sleep guidance and NHS adult ADHD self-care advice, supported by ADHD sleep-risk evidence; no formal certainty rating.
- Outcome: screen-free interval before bedtime
- Comparison: general sleep guidance, not ADHD symptom reduction
- 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.

## 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

1. Pick a stopping point before the time you mean to go to bed.
2. When it comes, switch to something quiet, like reading.
3. If sleep stays hard, go through your whole sleep pattern with a clinician.

## Putting it into practice

### Start now

- 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.

### What it looks like

- Finish a game before the wind-down period starts.
- Swap the last video for a few pages of a book.

### Common mistakes

- If cutting screens leaves you no way to wind down, the rule may not stick. Pick a quiet replacement.
- Ongoing insomnia needs more than a screen rule. Ask for help if it affects daily life.

### Trusted how-to guides

- [About Sleep](https://www.cdc.gov/sleep/about/index.html), CDC
- [Insomnia](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/insomnia/), NHS

## Sources

- [About Sleep](https://www.cdc.gov/sleep/about/index.html), CDC, 2024 (Tier 1 guideline)
- [Insomnia](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/insomnia/), NHS, 2024 (Tier 1 guideline)
- [The impacts associated with having ADHD: an umbrella review](https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1343314/full), Frontiers in Psychiatry, 2024 (Tier 2 study)
- [ADHD in adults](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/adhd-adults/), NHS, 2025 (Tier 1 guideline)

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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.

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