ICRAVE Less Screen Time

As awesome as technology is — particularly tools like computers, smartphones, and tablets — it’s a double-edge sword. 

• Often, it ends up making us the tool.

Studies have shown a wide range of harmful effects of excessive screen time—for both kids and adults—including:

• Disrupted and shortened sleep
• Decreased physical activity
• Higher rates of emotional, social, and behavior problems
• Higher rates of obesity

Why do smartphones and screens have these effects? While there’s numerous potential explanations, here’s something you might have even noticed yourself when you’re engaged with technology…

• Increased heart rate, more shallow breathing, and increased alertness to name a few.
• While heightened alertness and clear thinking may be pleasant, a higher heart rate and shallow breathing are not.
• And all three of these responses share one thing in common: they’re signs of a stress response.

In simple terms, it seems that screen time activates our sympathetic nervous system—the “fight or flight” response that is engaged when we’re faced with a perceived threat (whether it’s real or not).

• Not surprisingly, research has confirmed that this is true.
• A 2019 study found that kids who used smartphones in the evening experienced an increase in heart rate and a decrease in autonomic nervous system activity.
  • both of which are evidence of an activated sympathetic nervous system.
• A 2018 study demonstrated that sending an email and waiting for a response caused a sympathetic nervous system response.

Why does this matter? Research shows that, on average, Americans check their phones somewhere between 150 and 300 times a day on average.

• Each time we check our phones, we may be activating that “fight or flight” response.
• This means that many of us may be spending the majority of our days in an active stress response.

In simple terms, we’re not designed for this. When our sympathetic nervous system is activated, we’re prioritizing all of the functions necessary for immediate survival, and our bodies neglect the processes required for long-term health—like digestion, hormone production, tissue regeneration and repair, etc.

• Chronic, persistent, unhealthy levels of stress contribute to virtually every modern disease. 
• Therefore, anything that consistently triggers a stress response—like too much screen use—can be seen as a player in the development of disease.

Re-source: Restrain

Using screens, at least for some period of time, is unavoidable for most of us in today’s world. But here are a few tips for minimizing their impact on your sympathetic nervous system, and by extension, your health:

• Take steps to minimize unnecessary use
  • e.g., reduce time on social media, consuming news, etc.
• Turn off all nonessential notifications
  • do you really need a notification when someone likes your Instagram post?
• When you do get a notification, and/or before you pick up your phone, use that as a reminder to take a deep breath
• Use apps like Time Out (Mac) or Workrave (PC) to remind you to take a break while using the computer.
  • During that break, walk away from the screen, breathe deeply, stretch, etc.

craving and resource from “Change That Up” – changethatup.com