Why is checking phones first thing detrimental to brain health?

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Checking Your Smartphone Upon Waking Negatively Impacts Brain Health

Grabbing your smartphone immediately after waking can be detrimental to brain health due to its disruptive effects on natural brainwave transitions, dopamine regulation, attention span, and overall psychological well-being. The content consumed during this vulnerable state significantly influences one's mindset for the entire day. This habit can lead to a cycle of compulsive phone checking, impaired cognitive function, and increased psychological distress.
Disruption of Brainwave Transition and Mindset Programming

Upon waking, the brain naturally transitions from theta to alpha brainwaves, a state where the subconscious mind is more receptive to programming. Checking your smartphone during this critical period can interrupt this transition, potentially hindering the positive imprinting of mindset. The information absorbed at this time carries a disproportionately greater impact on one's outlook and mental state for the remainder of the day.
Interference with Dopamine Regulation and Compulsive Behavior

The immediate engagement with a smartphone upon waking can disrupt the brain's dopamine levels, leading to a cycle of compulsive phone checking throughout the day. Dopamine acts as a reward neurotransmitter, and its premature activation in the morning can create a dependency, prompting users to seek that reward repeatedly. This mechanism is further exploited by notifications, which are specifically designed to trigger stimulus-response behaviour, encouraging users to access social media without conscious thought.
Impairment of Attention Span and Cognitive Abilities

Engaging with social networks first thing in the morning can negatively affect one's attention span for the rest of the day. Furthermore, intensive smartphone use in general may indirectly impact cognitive abilities. A 2020 Samsung study indicated a significant decrease in human attention spans since 2000, suggesting a broader effect of screen engagement on our capacity to focus.
Links to Psychological Distress and Mental Well-being Issues

Extensive scrolling through news feeds and social media content has been associated with increased psychological distress, decreased life satisfaction, and a decline in overall mental well-being. Specifically, "doomscrolling," the act of consuming a large volume of negative news, has been directly linked to heightened levels of anxiety and depression, as evidenced by research from Texas Tech University.

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Why is checking phones first thing detrimental to brain health?

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