Why You Should Stop Checking Your Phone First Thing in the Morning

Health and Wellness,Mental Health,Whole Person Health

Why You Should Stop Checking Your Phone First Thing in the Morning

06.19.2025 | 5 min read

Key Takeaways

Excessive smartphone use upon waking up can negatively impact mental health by increasing stress and anxiety while reducing productivity.
"Doomscrolling" and "brain rot," terms describing the consumption of negative or low-quality online content, are habits many of us indulge in before even getting out of bed.
Replacing morning phone time with activities like meditation, breathwork, stretching or journaling can promote a more positive and productive start to the day.

The average person spends more than 4.5 hours per day on their smart phone, according to recent data. Many of us inch toward that figure first thing in the morning. Most surveys say between 70% and 80% of people check their phones within 10 minutes of waking up.

It can be far too easy to transition from turning off your alarm to suddenly surfing social media. Before you know it, 15 or 20 minutes have vanished. If you regularly fall down this rabbit hole, you know you can’t have those 15-plus minutes back each day. But you can spare them tomorrow by making it a habit to leave your phone untouched first thing in the morning.

Are there benefits to scrolling your phone first thing in the morning?

Spending a few minutes each morning seeking uplifting content may motivate you to have a great day. Maybe this includes reading positive affirmations and inspirational quotes. A small study found that 70% of the 60 participants studied considered morning scrolling as a relaxing way to ease into the day, when kept to a short duration.

While social media has its benefits when used moderately – including social connection, access to information and entertainment and relaxation – many of us aren’t scrolling for a short duration, as evidenced by the earlier statistics.

When opening our phones in the morning, we’re not likely to be too selective; whatever our feeds and notifications serve up is probably what we will indulge in. From emails to news stories to social media takes, it’s far from guaranteed this content will be wholly positive, which can in turn make us feel overwhelmed.

The negative effects of scrolling first thing in the morning

There are specific negative habits associated with screen time, habits we may engage in first thing in the morning. One of those is called “doomscrolling," which is the act of continuously scrolling through distressing news and content. If you are someone with depressive symptoms or symptoms of anxiety, some experts say you may develop this habit to validate the headspace you are already in.

Then there’s a term called “brain rot.” This refers to the mental fog that follows excessive time consuming low-quality, fast-paced content online. If you find yourself scrolling through a steady stream of video shorts when you wake up, you may be succumbing to brain rot, which can leave you mentally fatigued before your feet even touch the ground in the morning. Not to mention, the time you spend scrolling your phone is time and attention diverted from a significant other. Being unavailable in real time or in the moment can lead to feelings of anger and resentment from your partner.

According to that same small study, cons of morning scrolling include:

Increased stress and anxiety: Studies find excessive smartphone use can lead to symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress and poor sleep quality. Flooding your brain with mindless content and negative news and “doomscrolling” can trigger your stress response and set a negative tone for the day.
Reduced productivity: Spending 10, 20 or even 30 minutes scrolling delays your day and can create a pattern of procrastination that becomes easier to fall into multiple times after you already did it once.
Disrupted morning routine: The more time you spend scrolling, the less time you spend getting ready for work or school in the morning, going to the gym or any other thing you normally like to get a head start on. You may be less motivated to tackle these things if you allow yourself to be sucked into your phone.

How to avoid checking your phone first thing in the morning

Give yourself a buffer from the digital world by avoiding your phone for the first 30 minutes to an hour each day, even on weekends. You may have to make an exception to check for important missed calls or texts, but if you do, try putting your phone right back down. Since many of us use our phone as an alarm, buying an alarm clock may help decrease your temptation to start scrolling.

Try swapping out early-morning screen time for the following mindful activities that can give you a tranquil start to the day.

Meditation: Ten to 20 minutes of morning meditation can help calm your mind and get your day off to a positive start.
Breathwork: This is a practice that releases toxins and stress when you exhale and nourishes your body and mind when you inhale. Research has found certain types of breathwork to lower blood pressure and heart rate.
Stretching: It’s common for our bodies to feel a little tight upon waking up. Stretching can keep your muscles flexible and promote a healthy range of motion in your joints.
Journaling: This is a powerful way to process your emotions. Some of us also feel most creative when waking up; tapping into that creativity by journaling can be a great way to activate your brain for the day.

Not everyone feels the same about their online experience. Maybe you’re satisfied with the time you spend on your phone and find it to be mostly beneficial. That’s why it’s important to do a self-check-in and ask yourself what your mood is like when you’re online.

Do you find yourself more stressed after spending time on social media? Taking inventory to see how screen time impacts your daily habits is a great place to evaluate some of your habits.

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