Focus and Screen TimeUpdated November 2026

Stop Scrolling in Bed.Start the Wind-Down.

For night scrollers who want sleep back. Tap your lights-out time; get a printable card.

When do you want lights out?

Download on the App StoreFree on iPhone
The short answer

How do you stop scrolling in bed?

Decide earlier than midnight. Pick a lights-out time, put the phone down 30 to 60 minutes before it, and let a scheduled block keep feed apps shut until morning. Swap the scroll for something specific, like a book or a written to-do list for tomorrow. Willpower at 12:40 AM is the weakest tool you have.

The fix isn't a stronger thumb. It's a decision made at 9 PM.

38%

of US adults say doomscrolling before bed makes their sleep worse, in a 2,007-person survey for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (published February 2026). Half use a screen in bed every day.

Real screens, real night

What a Sleep Zone looks like in FocusPass

FocusPass rules screen with an Evening Focus Zone from 9 PM to 11:30 PM
A Focus Zone covers your night hours
Heatmap of when Passes happen with a note that most Passes happen after 9 PM
The heatmap shows your late-night reach
Pass length picker with a 10-minute Pass that relocks automatically
Before the zone: a short Pass that relocks
Protection Check listing schedules active and apps selected
Protection Check confirms the schedule
Free printable

Your phone-down card for the nightstand

Phone-down card

focus-and-screen-time.pages.dev
Feed apps shielded from10:15 PMPhone on the charger, out of reach10:15 PMLights out11:00 PMZone ends7:00 AM
  1. Write tomorrow's top three on paper, then close the notebook.
  2. Read, stretch or shower. Nothing that ends with "one more".
  3. If you reach for the phone: Go Back. That counts.
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun

Times follow the AASM's advice to stop handheld screens 30 to 60 minutes before bed (this card uses 45).

The card updates from the time you tapped at the top. Print it, put it where the phone used to sleep, and tick a box each night you keep it. Seven boxes is one honest week.

Paper by the bed, phone across the room. That's the whole system.

the phone sleeps over there
How it works

Set it once, in 3 steps

  1. Protect the night apps. Choose feeds, video and games with Apple's own Screen Time picker. Keep your alarm or anything you must reach as an Essential.
  2. Add one Focus Zone. Use the shielded time from your card. Choose Sleep or Evening; one zone is included free.
  3. Let the shield answer. Reach for an app and you'll see PROTECTED with Go Back. Each Go Back is recorded as one Focus Save.
Questions

Scrolling in bed, answered

How long before bed should I stop using my phone?
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine suggests stopping handheld electronics 30 to 60 minutes before bed. The card on this page uses 45 minutes by default.
Why do I keep scrolling in bed when I'm tired?
The phone is within reach, the feed never ends, and late at night every decision to stop is harder. That is why the fix works best as a decision made earlier, such as a scheduled zone, rather than willpower at midnight.
Can I still use my phone alarm with an app blocker?
Yes. FocusPass only shields the apps you choose, and apps you must always reach can be set as Essentials. The AASM also suggests a regular alarm clock so the phone can stay out of the bedroom.
Is FocusPass free?
Yes. The free plan includes native shields, Go Back and Focus Saves, timed Passes, automatic relocking, one Wallet and one Focus Zone, which is enough for a nightly Sleep Zone. FocusPass Pro is optional.
Honest limits

What a blocker can't do at bedtime

Our design decision: Turn Off All Protection always works in FocusPass and is never locked behind a purchase or streak. At midnight, that means a tired you can switch it off. We'd rather be honest about that than sell a cage. The card and the charger across the room are there for exactly that moment.

Who should pick something else: if you want the strongest fix, the AASM's own advice is to keep phones out of the bedroom and use a regular alarm clock, which needs no app at all. If a parent manages your phone, use Apple's Screen Time Downtime with a passcode instead. And FocusPass needs iOS 18 or later.

The CDC says adults 18 to 60 need 7 or more hours of sleep; the card's times are built backwards from that.

This is general information, not medical advice. If you regularly can't fall or stay asleep, talk to your clinician.

Phone down at the time you chose.Every night.

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