diff --git a/src/components/LHNOptionsList/OptionRowLHN.tsx b/src/components/LHNOptionsList/OptionRowLHN.tsx
index b9bc46f56ae5..b665c305f5cf 100644
--- a/src/components/LHNOptionsList/OptionRowLHN.tsx
+++ b/src/components/LHNOptionsList/OptionRowLHN.tsx
@@ -51,13 +51,22 @@ function OptionRowLHN({reportID, isFocused = false, onSelectRow = () => {}, opti
         }, []),
     );
 
+    const isInFocusMode = viewMode === CONST.OPTION_MODE.COMPACT;
+    const sidebarInnerRowStyle = StyleSheet.flatten<ViewStyle>(
+        isInFocusMode
+            ? [styles.chatLinkRowPressable, styles.flexGrow1, styles.optionItemAvatarNameWrapper, styles.optionRowCompact, styles.justifyContentCenter]
+            : [styles.chatLinkRowPressable, styles.flexGrow1, styles.optionItemAvatarNameWrapper, styles.optionRow, styles.justifyContentCenter],
+    );
+
     if (!optionItem) {
-        return null;
+        // rendering null as a render item causes the FlashList to render all
+        // its children and consume signficant memory. We can avoid this by
+        // rendering a placeholder view instead.
+        return <View style={sidebarInnerRowStyle} />;
     }
 
     const hasBrickError = optionItem.brickRoadIndicator === CONST.BRICK_ROAD_INDICATOR_STATUS.ERROR;
     const shouldShowGreenDotIndicator = !hasBrickError && ReportUtils.requiresAttentionFromCurrentUser(optionItem, optionItem.parentReportAction);
-    const isInFocusMode = viewMode === CONST.OPTION_MODE.COMPACT;
     const textStyle = isFocused ? styles.sidebarLinkActiveText : styles.sidebarLinkText;
     const textUnreadStyle = optionItem?.isUnread && optionItem.notificationPreference !== CONST.REPORT.NOTIFICATION_PREFERENCE.MUTE ? [textStyle, styles.sidebarLinkTextBold] : [textStyle];
     const displayNameStyle = [styles.optionDisplayName, styles.optionDisplayNameCompact, styles.pre, textUnreadStyle, style];
@@ -66,11 +75,6 @@ function OptionRowLHN({reportID, isFocused = false, onSelectRow = () => {}, opti
         : [textStyle, styles.optionAlternateText, styles.textLabelSupporting, style];
 
     const contentContainerStyles = isInFocusMode ? [styles.flex1, styles.flexRow, styles.overflowHidden, StyleUtils.getCompactContentContainerStyles()] : [styles.flex1];
-    const sidebarInnerRowStyle = StyleSheet.flatten<ViewStyle>(
-        isInFocusMode
-            ? [styles.chatLinkRowPressable, styles.flexGrow1, styles.optionItemAvatarNameWrapper, styles.optionRowCompact, styles.justifyContentCenter]
-            : [styles.chatLinkRowPressable, styles.flexGrow1, styles.optionItemAvatarNameWrapper, styles.optionRow, styles.justifyContentCenter],
-    );
     const hoveredBackgroundColor = !!styles.sidebarLinkHover && 'backgroundColor' in styles.sidebarLinkHover ? styles.sidebarLinkHover.backgroundColor : theme.sidebar;
     const focusedBackgroundColor = styles.sidebarLinkActive.backgroundColor;
 
diff --git a/src/libs/Navigation/FreezeWrapper.tsx b/src/libs/Navigation/FreezeWrapper.tsx
index bb6ab107373b..23513dd87431 100644
--- a/src/libs/Navigation/FreezeWrapper.tsx
+++ b/src/libs/Navigation/FreezeWrapper.tsx
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ import {useIsFocused, useNavigation, useRoute} from '@react-navigation/native';
 import React, {useEffect, useRef, useState} from 'react';
 import {Freeze} from 'react-freeze';
 import type ChildrenProps from '@src/types/utils/ChildrenProps';
+import shouldSetScreenBlurred from './shouldSetScreenBlurred';
 
 type FreezeWrapperProps = ChildrenProps & {
     /** Prop to disable freeze */
@@ -24,14 +25,8 @@ function FreezeWrapper({keepVisible = false, children}: FreezeWrapperProps) {
 
     useEffect(() => {
         const unsubscribe = navigation.addListener('state', () => {
-            // if the screen is more than 1 screen away from the current screen, freeze it,
-            // we don't want to freeze the screen if it's the previous screen because the freeze placeholder
-            // would be visible at the beginning of the back animation then
-            if ((navigation.getState()?.index ?? 0) - (screenIndexRef.current ?? 0) > 1) {
-                setIsScreenBlurred(true);
-            } else {
-                setIsScreenBlurred(false);
-            }
+            const navigationIndex = (navigation.getState()?.index ?? 0) - (screenIndexRef.current ?? 0);
+            setIsScreenBlurred(shouldSetScreenBlurred(navigationIndex));
         });
         return () => unsubscribe();
     }, [isFocused, isScreenBlurred, navigation]);
diff --git a/src/libs/Navigation/shouldSetScreenBlurred/index.native.tsx b/src/libs/Navigation/shouldSetScreenBlurred/index.native.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..4043fddb7372
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/libs/Navigation/shouldSetScreenBlurred/index.native.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+/**
+ * @param navigationIndex
+ *
+ * Decides whether to set screen to blurred state.
+ *
+ * If the screen is more than 1 screen away from the current screen, freeze it,
+ * we don't want to freeze the screen if it's the previous screen because the freeze placeholder
+ * would be visible at the beginning of the back animation then
+ */
+const shouldSetScreenBlurred = (navigationIndex: number) => navigationIndex > 1;
+
+export default shouldSetScreenBlurred;
diff --git a/src/libs/Navigation/shouldSetScreenBlurred/index.tsx b/src/libs/Navigation/shouldSetScreenBlurred/index.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..14b45921bdb2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/libs/Navigation/shouldSetScreenBlurred/index.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+/**
+ * @param navigationIndex
+ *
+ * Decides whether to set screen to blurred state.
+ *
+ * Allow freezing the first screen and more in the stack only on
+ * web and desktop platforms. The reason is that in the case of
+ * LHN, we have FlashList rendering in the back while we are on
+ * Settings screen.
+ */
+const shouldSetScreenBlurred = (navigationIndex: number) => navigationIndex >= 1;
+
+export default shouldSetScreenBlurred;