Module 4: Screens, Pressure, and Switching Off
If screens keep you awake longer than you want to be, this module helps you understand why.
Here we look at what phones, social media, and late-night scrolling actually do to your brain — especially at night. You’ll learn how stimulation, dopamine, and social pressure keep your mind in “response mode”, even when your body is exhausted.
This isn’t about blaming screens or telling you to switch everything off. It’s about understanding why it’s so hard to stop, why switching off can feel uncomfortable, and why your brain stays alert when connection and stimulation don’t have clear stopping points.
A calm, honest look at screens — without judgement, rules, or guilt — and an important step toward making sleep feel easier.
Written and narrated by Mark Taylor - North Bedfordshire CAMHS Service - East London NHS Foundation Trust.
Here we look at what phones, social media, and late-night scrolling actually do to your brain — especially at night. You’ll learn how stimulation, dopamine, and social pressure keep your mind in “response mode”, even when your body is exhausted.
This isn’t about blaming screens or telling you to switch everything off. It’s about understanding why it’s so hard to stop, why switching off can feel uncomfortable, and why your brain stays alert when connection and stimulation don’t have clear stopping points.
A calm, honest look at screens — without judgement, rules, or guilt — and an important step toward making sleep feel easier.
Written and narrated by Mark Taylor - North Bedfordshire CAMHS Service - East London NHS Foundation Trust.
Creators and Guests
Writer
Mark Taylor
Mark has been a qualified Mental Health Nurse for over 3 decades. He has exclusively worked within the field of Child and Adolescent Mental Health (CAMHS). Mark currently holds the position of Lead Mental Health Nurse within the North Bedfordshire CAMHS Crisis and Home Treatment Team at East London NHS Foundation Trust.
