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In today’s blog post, we are going to look at 10 ways technology mentally and physically negatively can impact our health. All of these affects can be avoided with being aware and conscious of your screen time usage.
Most people are guilty of checking their Instagram, Facebook, or email at night before going to sleep. This has negative affects on your sleep cycle. The blue light emitting from your devices throws off your biological sleeping pattern because the blue light causes our bodies to produce less melatonin which helps regulate our sleep. A majority of adults have poor sleep habits which can be contributed to being on your devices at night. Sleeping is a very important factor to our health. With inefficient sleep cycles, our bodies are more prone to heart disease, lack of focus, and obesity.
Starring at your devices all day can be extremely straining on your back and spine. When we text or scroll through social media, we usually have our heads facing a downward angle putting more pressure and strain on our backs. Working a desk job can also too can contribute to back problems. Sitting all day starring at a computer can result in poor posture and over a long-term period can seriously strain your back.
Constantly scrolling on your phone and holding your phone can lead to a new coined term called “Texting Claw”. This term is used for when you have muscle tension in your wrist or forearm from constantly grasping and holding your phone. After a long period of time, you can start getting tendinitis from this repetitive motion of holding your phone.
Technology and having the ability to have any information in the palm of our hands has started rewiring our brains. We are now an information-based society, where we are overloaded with so much new information that it can be overwhelming for us to process. With this technology and easy access of information, we are more likely to multi-task and become more reliant on this technology. Multi-tasking seems like a positive, but we actually are more likely to be less efficient with getting tasks done and getting them done accurately. Since we rely heavily on technology, we become more addicted to it and as we all know addiction with anything is never good.
The goal of technology and social media is to connect with each other and collaborate on new theories, ideas, and perspectives. Social media has done the opposite for us. People feel more and more disconnect with each other. Social media portrays people differently than what actually goes on with their day to day. With this being said, people can become depressed and have lower self-esteem.
Digital Eye is another relatively new term. Digital eye occurs when you are on your devices for too long which in return strains your eyes, dries out your eyes, and makes your vision blurry. This is more common in adults than you think. Our eyes were not designed to read an overflow of information for 10 hours a day.
Headaches and migraines are common after prolonged periods on your computer or phone. These tension headaches usually are accompanied by Digital Eye. You can also get painful muscle spasms on your temples from your screen being too bright.
Have you ever heard of the phrase “FOMO”? FOMO is an acronym standing for fear of missing out. Many people become more anxious when scrolling through social media. You see your friends doing fun things and you’re bummed and anxious because you’re not there and missing out. On another note, we have the capabilities to find almost all answers to any questions we have. There are so many benefits to this obtainable research, but this can also negatively affect you. A new term called cyberchondria is when you research information about yourself usually health related which causes you to panic about your current condition. This is very similar to hypochondria.
Being behind a screen all day increases your likelihood of having a sedentary lifestyle. Not moving and being inactive everyday has so many negative impacts on our lives. Sitting for long periods of time is considered a new silent killer which is contributed to heart disease, obesity, and other health complications. The blue light your devices produce also can release a hormone called ghrelin which makes you hungry and can cause you to gain weight. You are also more likely to mindlessly eat when you are scrolling through social media which will contribute to poor eating habits and long-term weight gain.
Everyone is constantly on their phone and bring their phones pretty much everywhere with them. Have you ever thought how much bacteria your phone has on the screen? If you do not sanitize your phone, it can be swimming in bacteria causing illnesses like the common cold and flu as well as creating blemishes on your face.
There are many negative affects on constantly being on your devices. If you are not careful, long-term exposure can physically and mentally hinder you. Just remember everything is best in moderation including technology. If you are working at a desk on your computer all day, make sure every hour you are getting up, walking around, stretching, and blinking your eyes. This will give your eyes a break from starring at a screen and gives your body a chance to move around. It is also vital that you try to minimize your screen time at night, this will help you maintain a good sleep cycle and keep you rested and focus for the following day.
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