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Things Too Much Screen Time Does to Your Body

Did you know you can become less emotional through too much computer time? These are the scary things too much screen time does to your body, so limit your time!

By Penny NewtonPublished 6 years ago 7 min read
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The majority of us find constant entertainment through the Internet or just by watching the television. We constantly scroll through social media, binge-watch Netflix, or play level after level in a video game. Technology has found a way to suit everyone's liking when it comes to killing time and finding enjoyment. And people really do take advantage of technology to the extreme. Since there's so much out there, many of us are willing to explore the grounds. This means discovering new shows to binge-watch, the latest video games to beat within a single week, or simply surfing the Internet.

Most of our entertainment lies behind the screens, and sadly, many of us are addicted. Practically slaves to technology and we don't even realize it. And as much as we waste time staring at screens, did you know that it can take a toll on us? Aside from mentally, staring at a screen for hours on end can really impact us physically. These are the horrifying things too much screen time does to your body. After looking through the list, you should definitely consider cutting back for a healthier life.

You'll start to have poor eye vision.

This one is a no-brainer. It's clear that one of the things too much screen time does to your body is affecting our vision. Since we're staring at the computer, television, or even smartphone screen for so long, our eyes can slowly start to strain, and leaving us with poor vision in the aftermath. Our eyes are so focused on whatever the screen is showing us, we don't notice how much effort our eyes are doing.

It's best to give our eyes a break once it a while. Actually, it's crucial, because binge-watching Netflix for hours and hours can really ruin our eye sight. Don't your eyes ever feel exhausted after playing video games for so long? It means you're straining your eyes too much! Cut back a little for the sake of your eyes.

It can cause weight gain.

Don't you just love munching on junk food while watching your favorite show or casually looking through social media? Admit it, many of us would rather choose spending the night watching a show rather than hitting the gym. But are you aware of the lack of movement your body is doing while spending too much screen time? You're basically not moving for hours.

Since you're the least active when on the computer, this can lead to weight gain. From eating a bunch of unhealthy food and having less active time, it's possible for your body to drastically change. Aside from gaining the weight, you can also get diabetes and heart disease from staring at the screen for a long period of time daily. So, avoiding a lot of screen time is one of the simple ways to avoid weight gain.

You can get text neck and ruin your posture.

Have you ever heard of text neck? When you're looking down at your phone every single day, this can truly impact your neck in the worst way. While you're constantly looking down, your neck will get used to that posture, and it's possible for it to stay that way. Your neck can arch and always face downward.

Other than your neck, you're whole posture in general is among the things too much screen time does to your body. Since you're usually sitting while wasting time on the computer or watching television, your spine is always at a curved angle. Consistently having your body in that position can really affect your posture and your body can get used to the angle. Try to keep your posture aligned and proper so it doesn't get ruined!

It's possible for you to get cybersickness.

Cybersickness is also known as digital motion sickness. While we're always scrolling through social media or watching moving and action-packed digital content on the screen, our eyes and bodies aren't technically moving. Even when there's so much happening on screen, especially if you're playing a video game or watching a show, us physically aren't moving.

So, this leads us to being more prone to feeling woozy and having constant headaches. Movement in reality can trigger a dizzy feeling, because we're so used to not moving when focusing on a screen. If you've ever felt this way after being behind the screen for far too long, it's important to get away from the screen for a while to get your head back in reality.

You can get metabolic syndrome.

Among the things too much screen time does to your body, it's possible for you to develop metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of metabolic risk factors that all comes together within one person. The factors include high blood pressure, insulin resistance, cholesterol abnormalities, and even having the risk for blood clotting. This usually affects overweight individuals, but it’s possible for so many people wasting time staring at a screen for hours on end.

This is also an addition to rapid weight gain. Since we are almost never moving when playing video games or watching TV, this comes with so many terrible health factors coming our way. Remember that your life isn't all about focusing on a single screen; there's a world out there filled with fun and interesting activities to partake in!

Your brain restructures.

You may be addicted to the computer without even realizing it. From the scary things too much screen time does to your body, you can be a slave to technology without having the slightest notice. If you crave watching episodes of your favorite show every day, this goes to show that you're addicted.

And being addicted to screen time can actually restructure your brain. It'll become almost like a habit, something you have to do to be satisfied. Your brain will get used to the amount of screen time you're having daily, and this clearly isn't a good thing. Try to break the habit by going out more and think less about playing video games or surfing through YouTube.

You can process fewer emotions.

This cause is mainly for the kids who grew up with iPads, but it can affect adults, as well. Children who are constantly on the iPad, watching TV, or playing on their phones can result to having fewer emotions. As interesting and puzzling as it sounds, they're more prone to lacking genuine face-to-face conversations.

It's possible for their interactions to be so poor because of spending so much time staring at a screen rather than playing with their friends or siblings. Even though this is less likely for adults who didn't grow up with advanced technology, it's still possible. But for children to grew up used to heavily-advanced technology, they can be raised without having proper interaction qualities and emotions.

It prevents a full-night's sleep.

Lacking a well-rested night is also one of the things too much screen time does to your body. Staring at a bright screen for hours, especially during the nights, can affect your sleeping habit. When you're staying up for hours watching your show, the blue light from the screen can impact the sleep-promoting hormone melatonin.

From staring at a bright screen for a long time, this can hold us back from having a well-rested night. However, don't think that lowering the brightness will fix the problem, you're still focusing on a screen and this will prevent you from sleeping properly. Getting in your eight hours of sleep is way more important than getting in one more episode.

You're just likely to die early.

Lastly, from the things too much screen time does to your body... you're more likely to die early. As harsh as it sounds, it's true. From the health factors that comes from spending too much screen time, all of it can result to death. Through weight gain, being less active, and developing health problems, it shouldn't be a shocker that death will come by much earlier for you.

So, it's super important to put the computer and video games away. This is among the simple hacks you can start doing to make your life better. There's so much more to life than wasting your time staring at a screen for your own enjoyment. There are plenty of other fun and entertainment things to do out there. Hang out with friends, go on a road trip, visit that awesome cafe, go to a museum. Watching your favorite show shouldn't be your only priority in life.

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About the Creator

Penny Newton

Penny Newton: Dreams of honeymooning on the moon. Owns about 20 galaxy dresses and wishes to be probed by aliens one day.

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