We’ve all been there. You’re in bed, about to fall asleep and then *ding*. A notification. It’s hard not to pick up your phone immediately, I get it. I have to put my phone on silent 24 hours a day because I can’t stand knowing there is an email or text that is unread. But can this obsession with checking our phones really be hurting us that badly?

Personally, I blame Tumblr specifically for my lack of sleep most nights. I am constantly putting my phone down only to pick it up five minutes later to refresh the app and see new posts. But some studies have shown that checking your phone during the night can lead to depression and anxiety, especially for teens. Due to poor sleep quality, younger people can cause these issues to take place by checking social media throughout the night.

Using social media at all can lead to lower self-esteem for anyone. Scrolling through endless posts on Instagram of celebrities, models and even our own peers can damage us in the long run. It’s hard not to compare your life to others when it is all so accessible now. The other day I spent 30 minutes going through photos of a random strangers vacation to Hawaii for no reason. I have no connection to this person, but yet I am able to know where they are at any given moment if they post it. I think that this open form of contact that has grown into our culture is great in so many ways, but we really need to remember the most important thing: we only post the best parts of our lives. Except for the select few that feel the need to post every time they breathe, we all want our lives to look perfect on the outside, but they are far from.

The National Citizen’s Service found that girls specifically turn to social media when they’re feeling anxious. Apps like Twitter and Snapchat can give us a sense of escapism from our lives, but this only lasts for so long. Speaking from experience, repressing your thoughts and feelings will have very bad outcomes in the future. My advice: take breaks when you feel overwhelmed, it will clear your head.