Saying goodbye to Instagram

Last year, I began to feel that my sleep quality had changed over the years. I have a memory of sleeping "like the dead"! My head would hit the pillow and I would be gone. I would wake up fresh in one shot and had a few moments of dream recall before I was into the new day.

I noticed that I woke up two or three times, sometimes to pee, often for no apparent reason. I would feel the need to check my phone (most times I would resist the urge, sometimes not!) and then fall into a very cluttered dream sleep. The dreams would be very intense and with a lot of movement. When I woke up, I would have recall for hours and would stay a bit groggy for quite a while.

In the beginning, I chalked it down to menopause. The list of things I have erroneously assigned to the Big M is long and this one might be the most "wrong". In conversation with my friend Shanto, I mentioned that I am being drawn to slow living and he asked about my social media consumption. He shared that he had no social on his mobile and checked in once a day via his laptop. So in December 2025, I decided to take the plunge. I took away Facebook and my beloved Instagram off my phone.

See the trouble is not that Instagram is not good for me...the trouble is that is often really really good! The content is engaging, informational and entertaining! I mean who doesn't love the Paw Podcast or the ASMR videos. Anywayyyyyy...I did it!

45 days into the experiment I know that I was overconsuming. I have instead read 8 books in January and had a beautiful meditation immersion. The real surprise is the shift in my sleep. I am once again sleeping without interruption. My dream quantity and quality has changed for the better. And I wake up fresh with no mind fog. Also, I have noticed that I do not keep reaching for my mobile because with social gone, there is no urgency to check email or Whatsapp.

Based on my experience alone, I feel watching reels and shorts does something to the brain. It is almost like a constant pulsation that seems to settle when that consumption stops.

PC: Thin Pig Media