Lots of people spend more time staring at digital screens than they should. Significant amounts of the population work on the computer all day long, then return home to enjoy some television, and then go to sleep after checking social media and texting on their smartphone. But how does all that screen time impact your body?
People who spend more time than they should staring at digital screens are prime candidates for developing computer vision syndrome. This condition is responsible for all kinds of nasty side-effects, including eyestrain, blurred vision, headaches, and pain in the neck and back. But prolonged digital screen usage has been linked to other problems as well.
Nearsightedness, for example, appears to be a common issue in those who stare at screens all day. Low melatonin levels have also been found in excessive digital screen users, a problem linked to the circadian rhythm in which blue light from screens tricks our body into thinking it’s still daytime at night, reducing tiredness before bed and increased fatigue when waking up in the morning.
As it would seem, there’s tons of evidence suggesting that it’s best for you to put down the digital screen occasionally. After all, humans weren’t designed to stare at digital screens all day.
