These days, there are very few ways to escape the siren’s song of the digital screen. Whether you have to look at them for work, school, or just for having fun, staring at screens all day has become a common occurrence no matter where you go. The unfortunate part of all this is that excessive screen time has been shown to have several detrimental health effects. If you want to see how your screen time is affecting your health, this article will lay it all out for you.
Vision Problems
It should come as no surprise that staring at something beaming bright light into your eyes for hours on end can harm your vision. Computer screens output a lot of blue light, which can, over time, do damage to your eyes and cause things such as blurry vision and headaches.
Combatting Blue Light
There are glasses made by many companies that help to block this blue light, and they’re a wise investment if you look at screens for long periods of time.
Sleep Interference
Getting good sleep is one of the most important things you can do for yourself. Unfortunately, large amounts of screen time before bed have been linked to less and lower quality sleep. The light and stimulation trick your brain into thinking it should still be awake, making it harder to fall asleep and stay in your REM cycle.
Weight Gain
While it might seem strange that staring at your phone could cause weight gain, the problem actually comes from the sedentary lifestyle of looking at screens for a long time. Being sedentary because you’re looking at screens all day is a very quick way to start putting on weight and putting yourself at risk for diseases like diabetes and heart problems.
Decline in Mental and Emotional Health
The physical detriments are only half of the problem. It’s been found that excessive amounts of screen time can contribute to developing anxiety disorders and depression. This is the result of a shortening of the attention span, overloading your brain with information, and general frustration as you compare what you see to your own life. If you find you’ve been feeling down lately, give the screen some time off and see if it helps at all.These are just some of the ways your screen time can affect your health, but they are already bad enough. Though it is easy to get sucked in by the screen, it is similarly difficult to pull yourself away. Try your best to limit your screen time—your body will thank you for it.
