Doomscrolling before bed? A psychiatrist explains how it may affect your sleep and anxiety

Doomscrolling before bed may keep your brain mentally active and delay sleep. A psychiatrist explains its link with anxiety, poor sleep and late-night scrolling.

New Delhi: You are already in bed, but before putting your phone away, you decide to check your social media timeline one last time. A worrying headline catches your attention. You open it, scroll to another update, watch a disturbing video and then check social media to see what people are saying. Suddenly, much more time has passed than you intended.

For many people, scrolling through reels before sleeping has become an ordinary part of the nighttime routine. But when that scrolling turns into a seemingly endless stream of alarming or negative information, it can become harder to switch off mentally.

As we celebrate World Mental Health Day 2026, it’s time for a closer look at this common digital habit. Commonly called “doomscrolling”, the behaviour does not mean that simply reading bad news will automatically cause anxiety or insomnia. The concern is what can happen when distressing information is consumed repeatedly, particularly at a time when the brain should be preparing to rest.

Speaking exclusively to News9 Digital, Dr Paramjeet Singh, Consultant Psychiatrist at PSRI Hospital, New Delhi, explained, “Checking the news before........

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