What is the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning? First, you go to just turn off your alarm on your phone, and then about 15 minutes later you find yourself scrolling through everything you missed while you were asleep. Whether that be checking your emails, Twitter, Tik Tok, Instagram, etc. Smartphones are infinite portals that take you from one place to another with a touch of a button. 

In this day and age, almost everyone checks their phone immediately when they wake up. A survey done by Tech Times shows that anywhere between 46% and 61% of people check their phones either before they get out of bed or within five minutes of waking up. 

Not everyone is as attached to their phone and can go about their morning without their phone. Some have more control over their screen usage than others. 

Although, most people can openly admit that they are attached to their devices in numerous ways. Riley Borenstein, a senior at Sonoma State University said “I think most people our age are addicted to their phones.” 

Borenstein admits that they are guilty of going on their phone right when they wake up. “I would feel uncomfortable if I couldn’t check my phone in the morning.” Borenstein explained, “I go on my phone in the morning for about 15 mins doing random scrolling throughout my phone.” 

Borenstein went on to say that they even took a four-day cleanse from social media for their Psych 270 class, “all I could do is text and call for emergencies.” Borenstein stressed how “it was boring without going on social media.” When they stopped the cleanse the first thing they did was go on Tiktok and Instagram. 

The constant urge to stay in touch with our social media platforms is insane. We are in a constant state of scrolling going from one app to another. Essentially getting the same content but on different platforms. 

Checking your phone as soon as you wake up can mess with your brain and it is priming you to be distracted. When you first wake up your brain switches from, “delta waves, which occur in a deep sleep state, to theta waves, which occur during a sort of daydreamy state” explained in a Forbes article. 

By reaching for your phone immediately when you wake up, you force your body to skip the important stages for your brain. Leading you to be on alert mode which can trigger a stress response and put you on edge for the rest of the day. Especially because the content that we are exposed to can affect our mood throughout the day.

Nadia Hernadez, a third-year at SSU said “There are times when the first thing I do is scroll on my phone when I wake up.” Hernadez explains “I come across bad news that affects my mood and mindset for the rest of the day, and it can be hard to snap out of it sometimes.”  

To avoid these unnecessary responses, adjust your morning routine and find other ways to wake up your brain in a positive way. For example, adjusting your settings and your surroundings. Plan to do morning activities like reading a book, making a cup of coffee while journaling, listening to music, or listening to a podcast. Rather than aimlessly scrolling on your device. Be mindful of what content you are consuming because it can affect the way you operate throughout the day.