What late night scrolling is really doing to your brain
Can jujube juice help you stop scrolling at night?
Happy Sunday, amigos,
Yesterday, I got punched in the nose (I was training, of course) and it started bleeding like crazy. (After 3 septoplasties, my nose is quite sensitive, indeed.)
For a while, I couldn’t breathe through my nose at all.
Headaches kicked in. And that’s when I remembered: I used to be a mouth breather for most of my life until 2015, when I started using a mouth activator.
I started using it thanks to my dad, an implantologist who’s quietly built a lifetime of expertise in plasma and functional dentistry. Growing up around his work, I absorbed more about maxillofacial cases and occlusion issues than I realised.
Everyone’s out chasing the latest 5 step framework or shiny new protocol, I want to remind you of something important:
Overall, this industry has zero interest in how well you actually live.
They’re not here for your vitality, they’re here to sell you needs that don’t exist (At least, most companies).
Mark my words: in the near future, someone will lay down grass on a penthouse balcony, charge you to walk barefoot, and call it “sunrise grounding.”
(Wait… isn’t that already happening?)
Turns out, my grandmother was a sunrise grounder long before it was trendy, delivering milk barefoot to the neighbors every morning.
Anyway, here’s what I believe:
Long-lasting health isn’t about addition. It’s about subtraction.
It’s about living leaner, removing what doesn’t serve you.
And if you’re anything like me, you’re probably guilty of this one thing below… even though science keeps confirming it’s holding us back.
9:12 p.m. You check Instagram “just for a second.”
By 11:48 p.m., you’ve spiraled through reels, existential dread, and AI conspiracy threads.
Science just confirmed what we suspected:
Your late night social media habits might be the biggest red flag for your mental health and here’s how to fix it.
Depression has a digital signature
New research from Scientific Reports analyzed nearly 9,500 users of X (formerly Twitter) and found that those diagnosed with clinical depression had a distinct behavioral fingerprint:
Here’s what they discovered:
More active between 7 p.m. and midnight
Less active from 3 to 6 a.m.
Content posted was more emotional, self reflective, and ruminative.
Even more startling?
These patterns are not just byproducts of mood, they may precede or predict depressive episodes.
Why?
Because circadian rhythms control your cognition, hormones, metabolism, and emotional regulation. Disrupt them, and everything else breaks downstream.
My client’s hidden vulnerability
If you’re like most Live Leaner readers, your days are packed — meetings, deadlines, deals.
Which means your “mental decompression” often gets pushed to the night.
Here’s how that becomes a trap:
Your brain is already tired → low willpower
You reach for easy dopamine → scrolling
Dopamine spikes crash → mental fog, shame, insomnia
You wake up less focused, less sharp, less you
And then you repeat the loop, slowly eroding your mood, memory, and momentum.
The fix? Digital wind down protocol
“What gets tracked gets tamed.”
Start treating your nighttime routine with the same respect as your revenue targets.
1. 7:30 p.m. cutoff rule
No social media or emails after 7:30 p.m.
Set a screen limit timer or use an app blocker (we like Opal or Freedom).
2. Replace the scroll
10 minutes of foam rolling or yoga flow
5 minutes of “thought purge” journaling
3 pages of fiction (use a dim Kindle or paperback)
3. Stack your sleep chemistry
Magnesium glycinate + L-theanine
Optional: jujube-based herbal tea or PharmaGABA
Bonus: ambient red lighting or blue-blocking glasses
4. Reward it
Treat your wind-down as a luxury ritual, not a sacrifice.
Think: hot shower, binaural beats, candle-lit bedroom.
Anchor this behavior emotionally — not just cognitively.
2 studies that shocked me this week
Most people don’t associate strong bones with sharp minds, but new research from the Rotterdam Study just proved otherwise:
Those with low bone mineral density (BMD), especially at the femoral neck, were up to 2X more likely to develop dementia or Alzheimer’s.
This isn’t “soft science.” It’s a structural red flag for cognitive decline — long before symptoms appear.
Why this matters?
Bone loss = silent and progressive
Dementia = often diagnosed too late
Vitamin D deficiency (a driver of weak bones) increases dementia risk by 32–50%
My recommended protocol?
1. Test your vitamin D → Aim for 50 ng/mL (not “normal” — optimal)
2. Load your skeleton → Deadlifts, squats, loaded carries, rucking
3. Add this daily stack:
Vitamin D3 + K2 (essential for calcium absorption)
Collagen peptides + magnesium
1000 IU D3 per 25 lbs of bodyweight (adjust seasonally)
Strength is visible. But structural resilience is invisible until it breaks. Protect both.
One last bonus (to pair with your new wind-down habit)
You’ve probably tried melatonin.
Maybe it worked, until it didn’t.
Here’s a better path: jujube. Ancient in origin, clinically proven in effect.
What makes jujube different?
Supports natural GABA production (calms the nervous system)
Helps you fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer
Zero hormonal disruption or tolerance buildup
3 ways to use jujube tonight:
DIY tea → Simmer dried jujube + ginger for 30 mins. Sip slowly.
Supplement → Look for jujube combined with magnesium and PharmaGABA
Snack smart → A few dried jujubes 90 mins before bed (won’t spike blood sugar)
Closing thought
Modern health isn’t about hacks. It’s about patterns.
And the patterns you reinforce today, your strength, your scrolling, your sleep, shape the brain and body you’ll live in 10 years from now.
So ask yourself:
Are your nights rewiring you for resilience?
Either way,
I hope this was helpful, and if it was, help me share today’s piece with your network by clicking below.
Hasta la vista, mi amigo.