What is the dopamine diet? Three top tips on how to do a digital detox and avoid screen time and scrolling

• Dopamine diet is the latest digital detox trend on social media.
• A new survey by Compare and Recycle found the first thing half of those in the UK do when they wake up is check their phone.
• Here are three easy tips to get started on a digital detox.

A new digital detox trend is taking off on social media, called the dopamine diet, it has seen influencers shun their smart phones in a bid to avoid screen time and scrolling.

A new survey by Compare and Recycle found that the first thing 50% of us do when we wake up in the morning is check our phones, while 12% admitted to only being able to be away from their phone for one to three hours.

Whilst, our mobile phones are now an essential part of day-to-day life, spending hours on our screens and doom scrolling on social media can have a big impact on our health.

The dopamine diet is the latest digital detox trend taking off on social media. | Pexels

Phone recycling experts at Compare and Recycle explain: “While it is very tempting to scroll on your phone through the day, it can quickly get addictive and over time can even have lasting effects on your health.”

They continue: “Apps such as TikTok and Instagram are especially bad for this, as their short-form content and personalised algorithm is designed to help your brain release dopamine.

“In short doses, this is harmless, but if experienced regularly, this can train your brain to have a shorter attention span and reduce your ability to create dopamine when not using your phone.

“Over time, this can not only cause physical problems such as headaches and eye strain, but it can also cause damage to our mental health as our brains lose their ability to regulate the feel-good hormone dopamine. ”

What is a dopamine diet?

A dopamine diet, also known as dopamine fasting, involves abstaining from overstimulating activities, with many people now applying this method to their phones as they try to relieve stress by limiting screen time.

Compare and Recycle explain that the rise in popularity of short-form content seen on social media has caused our screen time to increase and our attention spans to reduce.

Top three tips if you’re looking for a digital detox

Compare and Recycle have shared with us their top three tips for getting started on a digital detox:

Start with a seven day detox

While it may be tempting to jump in the deep end and take part in a 30 day detox, it is more manageable to start off small with a seven day detox. Challenge yourself to achieve 30 minutes less screen time and then slowly build this up week by week.

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Leave your phone in a different room overnight

Keeping your phone in a different room overnight will help you resist the urge to scroll last thing before falling asleep and when you first wake up.

Switch off your phone when you’re not using it

When was the last time you turned your phone off? Often we keep our phones on all the time, the manual process of turning it off when it isn’t needed could deter you from unnecessary scrolling.

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