Dr. Matt Walker

I've got that big meeting and now it's 5.25.

Don't do that to yourself.

And I, even though I don't typically struggle with sleep, I have no clock faces in my bedroom.

The phone that I use to help do the guided meditation is an old phone, and it has only Wi-Fi connectivity and nothing else on it.

And I will only hit play, and then I will never turn it around.

I will not look at the clock face.

It just doesn't help me.

Well, I think it's a very important point.

And we've done some work in this area, too.

What that phone does is create a low level of anxiety.

It's what we call anticipatory anxiety.

One of the mechanisms separate from that, well, it's related to that.

If you look at teen phone use, one of the reasons that they don't sleep very well at night is that they're constantly checking their phones because of FOMO, a fear of missing out.

What has gone on as I've been asleep?

And it's stunning the data.

But for most adults, the other reason I don't like advocating for phone use is

When your alarm goes off in the morning, what is the first thing that you do as you're in bed?

You swipe right or you unlock your phone and you instantly start checking social media, emails, text messages.

And this tsunami of stress and anxiety just floods over you.

It hits you like this wall of anxiety.