For years, we’ve been told to put our phones away before bed. The common culprit? Blue light exposure, which has been linked to disrupted sleep.

But new insights suggest it might not be the glow of your screen keeping you up at night; it could be the content you’re consuming.

“Physiology is complicated and there’s a lot to tease out,” says Dr. Carol Ash, a board-certified sleep specialist at RWJBarnabas Health. “We know some people are sensitive to blue light. But if you get a big dose of bright light in the morning, it will override that. So you have to ask yourself: is it really a problem for me?”

Ash explains that what you watch, and how it makes you feel, may matter more than the light itself.

“If the content helps you relax and avoid intrusive thoughts, that’s great,” she says. “B

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