Why You Can't Stop Scrolling When You're Exhausted (And What to Do About It)

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You know the feeling.

It’s the end of the day. You’re exhausted. Your head hurts or your body aches.

You consider cracking open a book or playing cards with family, but it all feels overwhelming. Even cooking sounds like too much work.

So you scroll all evening. You want to do something else, but every other option feels impossible.

But what if the only thing that feels doable is actually making you more tired?

The Screen Fatigue Cycle

Spending time on your phone or computer because you’re too tired for anything else is a sentiment I can relate to.

I’ve experienced end-of-day tiredness in many forms:

• the bone-tired exhaustion of early pregnancy

• the aching fatigue of working on your feet all day

• the mind numbing fog after computer work

• the heavy hopelessness of depression

  
  

Scrolling seemed like the obvious choice, but I couldn’t understand why it always made me feel more tired, brain dead, and fuzzy than before.

Then it hit me. My phone was making me more exhausted.

The cycle works like this: You turn to social media to rest → constant stimulation depletes you further → you need another dopamine hit to keep functioning → so you keep scrolling.

The exhaustion that sent you there gets worse, which sends you right back to your phone.

The Evidence

When I first suspected scrolling makes us more tired, I was going off personal experience alone. But when I turned to the research, I found multiple factors at play in this exhaustion cycle.

Three main culprits: overstimulation, sleep disruption, and withdrawal.

Overstimulation

The problem isn’t wanting a break.

The problem is that scrolling doesn’t actually give you one.

Instead, scrolling hijacks your brain’s reward systems similar to the effects of slot machines or cocaine.

Over time, your dopamine system adapts by desensitizing , making you dependent on these digital hits to feel normal.

This is why scrolling becomes the only thing that feels “doable” when you’re exhausted. Not because you’re too tired for other activities, but because your dopamine system has been desensitized.

Everything else feels like too much effort because it doesn’t provide the same dopamine kick.

Sleep

According to psychiatrist Victoria L. Dunckley, MD, screens disrupt sleep in several ways:

• reduced melatonin production

• delayed onset of sleep

• suppressed REM sleep

• prevents body temperature from dropping

  
  

You don’t just sleep less. You sleep worse.

By making you even more tired the next day, it reinforces the scrolling cycle.

Withdrawals

When I‘ve taken social media breaks (or deleted accounts), the first few days are always the hardest.

Common screen withdrawal symptoms:

• Anxiety

• Irritability and mood swings

• Strong urges and compulsive thoughts

• Sleep disturbances

• Difficulty concentrating and “brain fog”

  
  

The same thing happened when I tried a mobile game a few weeks ago. Worst of all was the urge to check my phone. It was a constant buzzing in my ear like the relentless whine of a thirsty mosquito.

It takes time for mood, hormones, and sleep to regulate after coming off of screens, so be gentle with yourself through the transition.

Knowing what withdrawal symptoms to expect makes you more prepared to handle them.

Breaking The Cycle

As a neurodivergent person with autoimmune diseases, I’m no stranger to the pull of devices during low energy seasons of life.

Combined with the brain hijacking features online spaces use to keep you hooked, it can be hard to quit. (If it were easy, I wouldn’t have a job.)

But with the right strategies, you can overcome screen dependency.

Behavior Modification

There are two key questions I ask my coaching clients who want to change a habit (and the first one often surprises them):

• What are the benefits of the bad habit?

• How could you get those benefits elsewhere?

  
  

Your first reaction might be “there are no benefits.” But if a habit has zero benefits, you wouldn’t do it.

Perks of scrolling:

• always available and requires zero effort (that’s why I suggest adding friction)

• lets you avoid uncomfortable feelings like boredom, frustration, or grief

• creates the illusion of connection, productivity, and learning (even though research shows it actually undermines these things)

  
  

Find a way to fulfill those needs elsewhere, and you’ll be well on your way to creating sustainable, long lasting change.

Opt For Television over Interactive Screens

We all have bad days.

When the only thing that sounds doable is a screen, watch Television instead of using a phone, computer, or tablet.

Interactive screens have been shown to be more harmful in amount of daily use and in single longer sessions.

As little as 30 minutes of phone or computer use created the same sleep disturbances as 2 hours of television in one study.

Screen-Free Alternatives

As the saying goes: “The best defense is a good offense.” Know what you’d rather do instead of scrolling and make those things easy.

Examples:

• keep a book in your favorite scrolling hangout spot

• tell stories around a fire pit or by candle light

• start a new game night or creative project tradition

  
  

Want more ideas? Download my free guide to 50 screen-free activities to do before bed. It has 5 categories: Quick & Solo, Body & Soul, With Loved Ones, Fire Water Nature, Plan & Prep.

After scrolling, I feel eye strain, brain fog, and more exhausted than when I started.

When you’re already struggling with fatigue for any number of reasons, the last thing you want is to do something that will make you more tired.

One of my favorite screen-free pleasures is reading fantasy novels. They give me the same eager pull screens do that keeps me engaged for hours.

But when I look up after 100 pages, I’m clearheaded. Maybe sleepy and ready to wind down, but it’s the good kind of tired. Not the wired, insomnia-inducing exhaustion screens leave behind.

The best moments in life happen off of screens. So why not cultivate your own screen-free delights?

And if you want guidance on reclaiming your real life from the digital matrix, I’m here to help.

Book a free discovery call to chat with me about whether digital wellness coaching could be right for you.