If Your Nighttime Routine Is Watching Reels, You Really Are Cooked

Remember that time when your parents would enter your room and catch you doomscrolling on YouTube on a weekend night? Fast forward to 2025, and we have now entered an era of doomscrolling reels through our explore feed at night. For a generation that largely makes income off Instagram, uses Instagram slang to express themselves, and answers work emails using emojis, it’s safe to say their night routine is definitely not like their Pinterest feed but more like watching stories of that one friend who never skips a concert and reels on Tyla’s new viral song.

For a generation that treats Instagram like gospel, this is the sacred night ritual. You can’t sleep till you’ve watched an absurd number of reels, only to drift off while your phone blasts yet another “let’s unbox my advent calendar” soundtrack.

Are You Really Cooked?

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If the “fall in love again and again” audio is looping in your brain and you catch yourself humming it at noon, congratulations, you might actually be cooked. Imagine waking up and thinking about a reel you watched last night instead of the day ahead. Reels are addictive, sure, but what we’re losing is bigger than sleep. We’re slowly forgetting how the body is supposed to rest. And God forbid the algorithm throws you a grind-harder entrepreneur at 2 a.m. Suddenly your self-esteem has exited the chat, and your sleep is being hijacked not by your thoughts, but by someone else’s hustle soundtrack convincing you you’re not doing enough. If you’ve been there and still keep scrolling, you’re definitely cooked. Because now, real rest only arrives after drowning in content, and that’s quietly killing your peace, no matter how funny that reel felt in the moment.

Too Many Reels, Too Little Sleep

I love scrolling like it's my full-time job, but I also love waking up with an actual face and not a sleep-deprived ghost version of myself. I haven’t had true beauty sleep since school days, and honestly, watching a movie is fine, but inhaling fifty hours of content “for fun” is wild. Doing it in moderation is still cute. This whole aesthetic of being limitless is great for Instagram captions but terrible for your sleep and your mental bandwidth.

This Is How Your Night Should Look Like

At this rate, the bags under my eyes are about to become my most defining feature, and even the “my eye bags are Prada” joke won’t save me. So take this as your cheat sheet and ditch the 2 a.m. doom scroll. Swap it for actual night rituals that won’t feel as unhinged as the brain-rotted content you keep feeding your tired little soul.

Journaling

If you’re entering your wellness era, babes, do it properly. Your Pinterest board has been manifesting this moment since 2021. Open a cute journal, light a candle that smells like old money, and write a gratitude list so wholesome it cancels your intrusive thoughts. It’s giving character development.

Night Skincare Routine

An elite-level night routine is the closest thing we have to therapy without the invoices.

Start with a steaming shower that melts the day off you, use a body wash that makes you smell like you own three holiday homes.
If you like going the extra mile, go for a lightweight toner; your pores will thank you, trust me.
And please, treat your lips like the luxury item they deserve to be. LANEIGE is always that girl, but The Face Shop’s Vitamin B Watermelon Lip Mask is a silent killer in the best way. Wake up with plush lips that say, “I get eight hours of sleep,” even when you absolutely don’t.

Books Over Reels

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Swap your reel time with a nice book reading time, 30 minutes of any book that you like is much better than an hour of mindless scrolling, plus you’re increasing your attention span all while improving your vocabulary.

Bedtime Drink

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If you’ve ever googled “how to fall asleep fast” before ChatGPT took over, you already know the internet’s favourite answer: chamomile or lavender tea. And honestly? They deliver. One cozy cup and you’re snoozing like those people who brag about “deep sleep” on Instagram. If tea is not your scene, then some hot milk with honey does the job too.