What happens when you spend too much time on screen?
Screen time refers to the time you spend looking at electronic devices and displays, like right now. On average, a person has a screen time of 6-7 hours daily. This amount differs between kids and adults, but what are the effects when you get too much of screen time? From the age-old adage, “too much anything is not good,” you can also figure out it won’t be something great, but let’s delve deeper into what actually happens when you get too much screen time.
Effect Of Too Much Screen Time On Your Health
Too much screen time can have adverse effects on your health. You should be aware/know of the risks involved to be incentivised to change your daily routine. Here are some common physical problems caused by too much screen time on your health.
Straining Your Eyes
One of the first places you get affected by too much screen time is your eyes. Too much screen time causes strain on your eyes, which can lead to headaches. It can also irritate your eyes and cause them to dry up. To ensure you are protected from any problems with your vision, make sure you maintain a safe distance from the screen and limit your screen time as much as possible.
Sleep Problems
When you are exposing yourself to too much screen time, the first area that can get affected is your sleep. Electronic devices emit blue light, which interferes with your brain’s sleep cycle. This can cause you to lose sleep at night or have difficulty falling asleep. To ensure you are not hampering your sleep schedule, make sure you don’t look at screens for at least one hour before your bedtime.
Neck & Back Pain
Sitting for long hours staring at a screen can cause pain in your neck and back due to bad posture. When you sit for too long, you lose focus of your posture, which can cause mild to severe pain in your neck and back. To protect yourself against this, make sure you limit your screen time first and take care of your posture when using digital devices.
Obesity
Obesity is another problem you might encounter when it comes to too much screen time. In general, people work on digital devices while sitting or lying down. Too much screen time can push you towards an overall sedentary lifestyle, which increases your chances of obesity. Obesity is a serious health issue, and it can cause many related health problems. So, you should definitely look into your screen time if you are suddenly gaining a lot of weight.
Mental Health
This is especially true for children, as too much screen time for kids can cause mental health issues such as anxiety and depression. Studies have also shown that children with excessive screen time of more than 7 hours a day had difficulty in school and were performing poorly in critical thinking and language subjects compared to other students. To keep your kids safe from this problem, make sure you limit their screen time to no more than 2 hours a day.
Conclusion
These were some common health problems caused by too much screen time. So, after reading this blog, go outside, look out of the window, or just look at something at least 20 feet away from your screen. This will help you rest your eyes for a bit. To learn more about the ill effects of screen time on your health, feel free to visit Medipulse hospital.