The “harmless” habit that’s hurting your body
“Just one more reel.”
“Just one more episode.”
“Let me reply to these messages, and then I’ll sleep.”
If this sounds like your nightly routine, a leading cancer surgeon says you may be slowly damaging your immune system without even realizing it.
Social media has recently been flooded with a viral Instagram Story screenshot where cancer surgeon Dr Tarang Krishna, who has been treating patients for over 22 years, warns people about a common everyday habit that is silently destroying the immune system.
The story, widely shared on WhatsApp, Instagram, and Twitter (X), shows a message saying:
“You don’t need expensive immunity boosters, you need proper sleep. Your late-night scrolling is weakening your immune system more than you think.”
People are discussing it across comment sections, reels and health forums—and the concern is real.
So what is this habit?
Poor and disturbed sleep, especially caused by late-night phone scrolling and binge-watching.
Who is Dr Tarang Krishna?
Dr Tarang Krishna is a reputed cancer surgeon and expert in cancer immunotherapy with more than two decades of clinical experience. He regularly shares awareness content related to cancer prevention, immunity, and lifestyle diseases. His recent advisory on sleep and immunity has gained massive attention on social media, especially because he connected it to cancer risk factors.
His message is simple yet powerful:
If you sacrifice sleep every night, you are silently damaging your immune system.
The one habit harming immunity — and you do it daily
It’s not smoking.
Not junk food.
Not seasonal flu exposure.
The habit highlighted by the doctor is chronic poor sleep, mainly due to:
- Late-night scrolling on mobile phones
- Binge-watching OTT shows till 2–3 AM
- Sleeping with the phone beside the pillow
- Breaking the natural sleep cycle regularly
This behavior has slowly become “normal,” especially among young adults, corporate workers, and students.
But the biological consequences are not normal at all.
How poor sleep weakens your immune system
Modern medical research clearly states that sleep is a repair phase for the immune system. When we sleep:
- The body produces infection-fighting antibodies and cytokines
- Natural Killer (NK) cells destroy harmful and abnormal cells
- The nervous system resets cortisol (stress hormone) levels
- The body repairs tissues and removes inflammatory toxins
When sleep is disturbed:
- Antibody production drops
- Infection risk increases
- Vaccines work less effectively
- Inflammation rises inside the body
- Natural killer cells reduce — a key defense even against cancer cells
Over time, poor sleep may contribute to:
- Frequent cold, flu, and infections
- Chronic fatigue
- Increased blood sugar levels
- Digestive problems
- Heightened stress and anxiety
- Autoimmune disorders
- Higher cancer vulnerability factors (indirect long-term risk)
Why screens make it worse
Scrolling at night is not just a habit—it’s a biological disruptor.
Here’s how it harms you:
- Blue light suppresses melatonin, the sleep hormone
- Brain remains alert instead of shutting down
- Sleep gets delayed even if you “feel tired”
- Deep sleep reduces, making immunity weaker
- Phone notifications keep the brain on alert mode
You think “I slept 6 hours, I’m okay” —
But your immune system didn’t get enough recovery time.
Why this warning matters more for India today
Recent lifestyle trends show:
- Indians are sleeping 2–3 hours less than required
- Night-shift and work-from-home culture promotes irregular sleep
- Stress, workload and entertainment addiction keep people awake
- Teenagers and young adults spend 4–6 hours nightly on phones
We are a generation sleeping late and waking tired.
If this continues for long, we will see a rise in lifestyle diseases at a younger age.
How much sleep do you actually need?
- Adults: 7–8 hours daily
- Teenagers: 8–10 hours
- Children: 9–12 hours
- Elderly: 7–8 hours
Consistency matters more than weekend sleep “compensation”.
Viral Instagram Story Highlights
The story circulating shows key points like:
- “Late-night scrolling lowers immunity.”
- “Your body heals in deep sleep, not while watching reels.”
- “The world is sleeping, but your immune system is waiting for you.”
- “You don’t need supplements, you need discipline.”
- A line written boldly: “Sleep strengthens immunity more than any vitamin.”
People reshared it with captions like “hit me hard”, “needed this reality check” and “starting today — early nights”.
It has become a moment of digital self-realisation.
10 tips to fix your sleep and rebuild immunity
- Avoid screens at least 1 hour before bed
- Maintain a fixed sleep schedule
- Use warm lighting at night instead of bright LEDs
- Keep your phone outside the bed
- Avoid caffeine in the evening
- Light dinner, no heavy or oily foods late at night
- Read, meditate, or stretch before sleep
- Get morning sunlight exposure
- Reduce stress with evening relaxation
- Seek medical help for snoring, insomnia, or recurring sleep issues
Small lifestyle corrections → big immunity boost.
Final takeaway
The cancer surgeon’s message is a wake-up call:
The real immunity booster is not in a bottle, it’s in your sleep schedule.
Stop scrolling, put the phone away, and let your body heal.
A strong immune system is built at night —
when you switch off from the world and switch on deep sleep.
Tonight, sleep earlier.
Your future self will thank you.
