From Screen Fatigue to Sleepless Nights: Why Indians Are Looking for Better Ways to Unwind

It is past 11 pm. Your day's work is done, dinner is over and there is little left to do. Yet the phone is still in your hand. One last email turns into a scroll through social media, followed by a few videos and messages. By the time the screen goes dark, your body may be tired, but sleep does not always come easily.

 

For many Indians, this has become a familiar end to the day. Work follows people home, entertainment is available at any hour and checking a phone has become second nature. The problem is not always a lack of time to sleep. It is often the difficulty of slowing down after a day spent responding to constant demands.

 

A study published in the Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care, involving 658 Indian adults, found that 85% of participants reported more than two hours of daily screen time, while 59% reported symptoms of clinical insomnia. While the study does not establish that screen time alone causes insomnia, it raises questions about the effect of our digital habits on rest.

 

 

There is a reason you reach for your phones after a tiring day. Scrolling offers an easy distraction from work, family responsibilities and the thoughts that have been building up for hours. It requires little effort and can feel like the only personal time available in an otherwise busy schedule. However, an activity that feels relaxing is not always restful. Messages, videos and news keep the mind occupied. Work notifications bring unfinished tasks back into focus, while endless online content makes it easy to postpone bedtime.

 

Blaming blue light alone misses much of the picture. The timing of screen use, the nature of the content and the habit of staying connected all matter. For someone who spends most of the day looking at a screen for work, another hour on a phone at bedtime can make it harder to establish a clear break between activity and rest. The answer is not to abandon technology. It is to recognise when a habit that began as a way to relax is taking up the time meant for recovery.

 

 

Sleep often becomes negotiable when schedules get busy. You stay up to finish work, watch another episode or catch up with friends. You tell yourself that you will make up for the lost hours later. Over time, irregular bedtimes can become routine. The consequences may show up the next morning as fatigue, irritability or difficulty concentrating, but these are often accepted as part of a busy life.

 

A systematic review of 100 studies estimated the pooled prevalence of insomnia in India at 25.7%. The estimate for the general population was 15.1%, with differences across the populations and studies examined. Although these figures vary by study setting, they underline the importance of taking sleep difficulties seriously.

 

Poor sleep can have several causes, including stress, anxiety, medical conditions and disrupted routines. Screen use is one part of the picture, not the whole explanation. Persistent insomnia should not be dismissed as a bad habit or addressed through self-medication alone.

 

 

People are looking for practical ways to manage stress and feel better without having to overhaul their lives. Sometimes, the changes are small. Keeping the phone away before bed, reading a book, listening to music or taking a short walk after dinner can create a more settled end to the day. Maintaining a regular sleep schedule can help too.

 

These habits may sound regular, but they are often difficult to maintain than buying into a new routine or trying the latest wellness trend. They require people to make time for rest rather than fit it in after everything else.

 

We are also seeing a renewed interest in traditional approaches to wellbeing, including Ayurveda and plant-based ingredients. This reflects an increasing desire to explore familiar traditions in the context of modern life. Ayurveda's emphasis on daily routines and balance offers a useful perspective on wellbeing beyond individual symptoms.

 

That interest needs to be matched by informed choices. Natural ingredients are not automatically safe or suitable for everyone, and products marketed for relaxation or sleep should not be treated as guaranteed solutions. Qualified guidance matters, particularly for people taking medication or experiencing persistent sleep problems.

 

For the wellness industry, the opportunity is to help consumers understand their options rather than encourage the search for a quick fix. Transparent information, responsible guidance and realistic expectations matter as much as the products themselves.

 

 

There is a common assumption in busy life that rest comes after everything else is finished. In reality, there will almost always be another email, another task or another reason to stay awake a little longer.

 

Unwinding, then, is partly about setting limits. Not every message needs an immediate response, and the last hour of the day does not have to be filled with activity. It also means recognising when occasional sleeplessness has become a persistent problem that needs professional attention.