How to Stop Watching Porn at Night: 10 Practical Tips
How To Stop Watching Porn At Night (10 Tips)
How To Stop Watching Porn At Night (10 Tips)
Do you find yourself being tempted to pick up your phone and watch porn despite promising yourself you will stop? It can be very hard to control bad online habits at night.
After a busy day you can fall into bad habits due to feeling bored, stressed, lonely and having easy access to the internet. This can cause a bad habit to form.
Rather than relying on will power to stop you from watching porn at night, you can start to understand your triggers, change your environment and create a routine to help you make more thoughtful choices.
Here are 10 tips to help you control your urges to watch porn.
Why Is It Harder To Stop Watching Porn At Night?
There are many reasons why it can be harder to stop watching porn at night.
1. No Plans
When you are sat at home with no plans to do before bed you may fall into the trap of browsing the internet. This could cause you to watch one video or post and then another.
2. Stress
Some people use porn when they are feeling stressed, lonely, frustrated or overwhelmed. This can cause you to fall into the trap of relying on the same habit to cope. It can be hard to create new coping strategies.
3. Easy Access To Smartphones
Smartphones give you easy access to websites, social media and other online content. However, if your phone is in your bedroom there are barriers to stop you from acting on your urge.
4. Staying Up Late
Staying up late can affect your sleep and cause you to have more time to browse the internet. Research and guidelines suggest creating a routine to help improve your sleep.
[Note: Source – National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute – Healthy Sleep Habits]
5. Creating Bad Habits
If you regularly watch porn at certain times, places or after doing certain things this can cause you to associate these with watching porn.
10 Tips on How to Stop Watching Porn at Night
1. Keep Your Phone Away
One way to reduce watching porn at night is to keep your smartphone away.
- Charge your phone outside your bedroom.
- Don’t take your phone to bed.
- Try using an old fashioned alarm clock.
- Set a time to stop browsing.
- Don’t use your phone whilst lying down.
This helps to create a barrier.
2. Understand Your Triggers
Sometimes you may not have a reason for wanting to watch porn. Some people may struggle with boredom whereas others may notice they get the urge after days of social media.
Ask yourself:
- What time do I usually get the urge?
- Am I feeling bored, stressed, lonely or restless?
- What apps/sites cause me to act?
- Do I usually feel like this when I’m alone?
- Does staying up late make it harder?
Using a journal can help you spot patterns. Try creating some alternatives.
3. Create A Routine
Having no routine can cause you to fall into bad habits. Creating a routine will help.
For example:
- 8.30pm – Finish any work/responsibilities.
- 9pm – Finish your evening routine.
- 9.30pm – Read a book/listen to calming music.
- 10pm – Put your phone away.
- 10.30pm – Prepare for sleep.
Try adjusting the times to fit your lifestyle. The most important thing is to be consistent.
4. Block Websites/Apps
Sometimes you’ll need to block certain websites to help you. This can create a barrier between you and the content you’re trying to avoid.
BlockerX can help users manage their online content.
Depending on your device and features you can:
This can help you, but shouldn’t replace your routines.
5. Avoid Social Media Triggers
Whilst this isn’t directly related to porn, social media can cause you to see certain images, videos and recommendations.
Avoid having a triggering feed by:
See our guide on how to reset your social media feed for ideas.
6. Create Alternatives
Telling yourself not to do something can leave you without alternatives. Create a list of things you can do.
- Read a few pages of a book.
- Go for a short walk.
- Listen to a podcast.
- Breathe slowly.
- Journal.
- Lightly stretch.
- Prepare for the next day.
Try waiting 10 minutes. Move away from your phone and do something else.
7. Improve Sleep
Having bad sleep habits can make it harder to manage your responsibilities and feelings. Try to slowly create a bedtime and wake up time.
- Have a sleep routine.
- Reduce screen time before bed.
- Keep your bedroom comfortable and quiet.
- Avoid caffeine late in the evening.
- Create a pre-sleep routine.
See the CDC sleep guidelines for ideas.
8. Create Extra Accountability
Sometimes trying to change your habits can feel overwhelming. Creating extra accountability can make you feel encouraged.
Tell someone you trust your goals. This could be a friend, partner, mentor or accountability partner.
This should be positive.
9. Don’t See It As An Emergency
Just because you have an urge doesn’t mean you’ve failed. This is an experience.
When you experience an urge:
- Recognise the urge.
- Don’t react.
- Take a few breaths.
- Move away from the triggering content.
- Focus on something.
- Let the feeling pass.
The aim here is to not stop thinking, but to learn to react differently.
10. Have A Plan For Setbacks
Progress won’t always be perfectly consistent. You may have days where you slip up or experience unexpected triggers.
If you slip up don’t let it become an excuse to give up on your goals.
- Understand what caused the behaviour.
- Understand what could have been done differently.
- Review your evening routine.
- Create stronger boundaries.
- Continue to work towards your goals without punishing yourself unnecessarily.
See our article on NoFap streak anxiety for more information on why it won’t undo your progress.
What To Do When You Want To Watch Porn At Night
Sometimes all you need is to create a plan.
Try this 10 minute routine:
- Minute 1 – Recognise the urge.
- Minutes 2-3 – Put your phone away and move away from your browsing.
- Minutes 4-5 – Have a glass of water and take a few slow breaths.
- Minutes 6-8 – Read, stretch and/or listen to something calming.
- Minutes 9-10 – Get back into your bedtime routine.
This isn’t guaranteed to stop you having urges but will create a gap between your impulses.
Common Mistakes
Relying On Will Power
Your will power can fluctuate depending on your stress, sleep and situation. Create an environment to support your goals.
Leaving Your Phone In Your Bedroom
If one of your triggers is free browsing then leaving your phone in your bedroom will make it harder to create boundaries.
Trying To Change Everything
It can feel overwhelming to make changes to your habits. Start with making one or two changes and create consistency.
Feeling Guilty
Feeling guilty and being critical can make it harder to recover. Focus on understanding your behaviour and finding ways to improve.
Not Understanding Why
If you regularly turn to porn when you’re feeling stressed, lonely or anxious then just blocking websites won’t help. Focus on your wellbeing and consider seeking help from a professional.
How BlockerX Can Help You Create Better Habits
Making changes to your relationship with porn can be done through creating changes and extra boundaries.
BlockerX has been created to help you manage your online content.
Depending on your platform and subscription you can:
Block certain websites.
Reduce online content.
Create extra accountability.
Create healthier boundaries.
Technology is a helpful tool but making behavioural changes will also require you to be aware, consistent, use healthy coping strategies and be patient.
FAQs
1. Why do I get urges to watch porn at night?
Urges at night can be linked to feeling bored, stressed, feeling like you want to fall into old habits and easy access to smartphones. Understanding what is causing your urges can help you create a plan for your evenings.
2. How can I stop watching porn before bed?
Try to keep your phone away from your bed, avoid content that may make you want to watch porn, set a bedtime and create alternatives. Using website blockers can help you avoid websites.
3. Does watching porn before bed affect your sleep?
It can depend on the person. However, looking at screens for long periods of time, exciting content and staying up later can make it harder to have good sleep.
4. How can I control urges when I’m alone?
Notice what is causing you to want to watch porn, avoid having your phone nearby, think of alternatives and try to wait. If you’re struggling to control your urges it may be useful to seek help from a professional.
5. Can website blockers help me?
Yes. They can help by stopping you from visiting websites. They work best alongside making changes to your habits, having someone to check in with and having good plans throughout the day.
6. What should I do if I slip up?
Don’t be too hard on yourself. Understand what happened and why. Check your plans so it doesn’t happen again. Continue to work towards your goals. If the behaviour is really affecting you consider seeking help from a professional.
Final Thoughts
Understanding how to stop watching porn at night isn’t about being perfect.
It’s about understanding your habits, knowing what is causing you to want to watch porn, creating plans for your day and making better choices.
Start by making changes, keeping your phone away from your bed, limiting what is causing you to want to watch porn, creating a bedtime and using tools to help you reach your goals.
Above all be kind to yourself. Change takes time. Every positive choice you make is a step towards living the life you want.
