Sleep: Screens Stealing Our Slumber? | Screen Time, Sleep Science & Digital Wellbeing

Sleep: Screens Stealing Our Slumber? | Screen Time, Sleep Science & Digital Wellbeing

Author: Gareth King May 6, 2026 Duration: 42:05

The internet promised us connection that never sleeps. But has it also been sabotaging our rest - leaving us locked in a nightly battle with a digital world that refuses to turn off?

We're joined by Chelsea Reynolds - sleep researcher and clinical psychologist - who is exactly the right person to ask about what happens when bedtime becomes screen time, and whether our screens are the problem, or the solution.

Welcome to Ruined By The Internet? - the show where we examine how technology is shaping modern life - whether we want it to or not.

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In this episode we investigate how screens and digital habits are disrupting our sleep biology, examine the sleep displacement hypothesis and what it actually means for how we rest, explore the psychology behind why we choose screens over sleep even when we know better, and ask whether the same technology keeping us awake could ever genuinely help us sleep.

00:00 - The internet's impact on sleep and why it matters

04:59 - Sleep biology and exactly where technology interferes

09:57 - The sleep displacement hypothesis: are screens stealing our hours or just our quality?

15:00 - Navigating sleep aids in a world full of digital solutions

20:01 - How the blurring of work and personal life is destroying sleep boundaries

25:04 - The bright light hypothesis and how screen wavelengths affect sleep patterns

25:09 - Understanding sleep routines and where technology fits in

30:36 - Teenagers, sleep needs, and the specific risks of digital exposure

33:00 - The risk factors most people don't know are affecting their sleep

35:30 - How to transform technology from sleep disruptor into sleep aid

37:23 - Practical sleep strategies for a screen-saturated world

39:44 - The nuance of technology's role in sleep: it's not all bad

Guest links - Chelsea Reynolds

Website: https://www.bedtimewindow.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelsea-reynolds-29b43191/


It’s a question that nags at anyone who’s ever felt a pang of nostalgia or a wave of digital fatigue: are we better or worse off because of our constant connection? Hosted by Gareth King, Ruined By The Internet? digs into that uneasy feeling, moving beyond simple headlines to explore how our online world actively moulds society, culture, and the texture of daily life. This isn’t about reviewing apps or gadgets; it’s about treating the digital realm as the pervasive environment it has become. Each episode features thoughtful conversations with leading thinkers and researchers from around the world, dissecting the real evidence behind our shared anxieties and hopes. You’ll hear nuanced discussions that ask whether the casualties we often blame on technology are inevitable, or if we’re simply misdiagnosing deeper societal shifts. This podcast provides a space for considered reflection, offering listeners a clearer lens through which to view their own place in a world that is, for better or worse, thoroughly wired.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 28

Ruined By The Internet? | Uncovering the human cost of our digital world
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Ruined By The Internet? - Trailer [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 0:33
Is the internet actually ruining everything, or are we just looking at it wrong?Welcome to Ruined By The Internet? - the show where we examine how technology is shaping modern life - whether we want it to or not.Through…