Is it bad to use the screens of electronic devices a lot?

On more than one occasion we have been told: “don't sit so close to the TV”, “it's not time to look at your mobile”, “be careful with the computer or you're going to need glasses”.

It is clear that in general culture the idea that screens can affect our health, both physically and psychologically, however, has it been shown scientifically? Is it really bad to use a lot of electronic devices with screens? Let's see it next.

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Is it bad to use screens?

We have all heard that using screens can affect our health, especially our eyesight. On more than one occasion, our parents, friends or whoever it was have told us not to sit so close to the TV because we are going to end up wearing glasses or that we should avoid using the computer at night, because then it will cost us fall asleep In general culture, the belief that screens, powerful emitters of light, are not innocuous is well established..

Is it bad to use screens? Yeah. No. Well, it depends. It depends on how we use them, how responsible we are, and what tricks we use to lessen their impact on our eyesight, our sleep patterns, and our mental health.

It is not the same to spend 9 hours straight in front of a computer without even getting up to go to the bathroom than to do it every half hour, resting our eyes and washing our faces to hydrate them a bit. In addition, the lighting in the room and the ergonomics influence how healthy our relationship with the screen is.

health effects

Really, the fact that the screens damage the eyes is something that, although it is not a lie, it does It has a certain component of myth regarding what they are very harmful. This belief has its origin in the sixties, when defective televisions that emitted too much light were marketed, causing vision problems. However, since we are in the 21st century and there is strong regulation regarding electronic devices, it is highly unlikely that we will find ourselves in such a situation.

However, it should be noted that, in the long run, the use of screens for long periods and without taking the proper precautions can lead to some problems both in the eyes and in our sleep hygiene and mental health.

vision problems

Among the visual problems to highlight is asthenopia or eye strain. This problem occurs when you spend too much time with your eyes focused on something. When focusing our eyes, the muscles of our eyes tense, with the intention of focusing on the object.

In case we spend a long time like this, the muscles can suffer and produce the feeling of discomfort. When we are in front of a screen, this problem can occur faster, since our eyes have to be constantly adapting to the brightness of the screen and the darkness of the environment.

Headache

3D technology causes a distortion between the real image and what is perceived by the brain. Excessive viewing, especially in children who are still gaining eye coordination, can lead to headaches, fatigue, and nausea.

It is for this reason that some game consoles, such as the Nintendo 3DS whose main attraction was 3D technology, They were forced to remove this feature, since their main target audience, children, could have severe headaches. head.

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Muscle pains

When consulting a tablet or smartphone, you tend to tilt your head. This movement, to be done in a prolonged and very repeated way, causes the muscles in the back of the neck to stretch for too long, which causes pain.

It may also be the case that you work with the computer in a posture that is detrimental to our back, acquiring an uncomfortable posture. In fact, it is what makes 2 out of 3 people complain of muscle pain associated with the use of screens.

Affectation in the biorhythm

What is more worrisome about screens, be they television, computer or mobile, is how they alter biorhythms.

Exposure to artificial light can cause disturbances in circadian rhythms, which are the oscillations of biological variables at regular intervals, between 20 and 28 hours, which are synchronized with environmental rhythms such as light or temperature. So to speak, they are the human biological clock, regulating the functions of the organism.

These cycles are closely linked to light stimuli, since the brain associates sunlight with increased physiological activity, while darkness interprets it as a sign that functions should be inhibited, reaching the minimum of activity between 3:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. 6:00 a.m.

Circadian activity in mammals is triggered by specialized cells in the retina, the light-sensitive part that signals the presence or absence of light. These cells are especially sensitive to bluish wavelengths, such as those in a daytime sky.

The problem with all this is that the brain does not know how to distinguish between sunlight, a light bulb and a computer screen. Due to this, and also depending on the type of light and the brightness of the light objects, it can induce circadian disruptions and, consequently, sleep and mood problems. In fact, this has been linked to health problems such as diabetes, cancer, obesity and depression, although it must be understood that correlation does not imply causation.

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How to prevent screens from affecting us?

First of all, the most basic and obvious advice to prevent screens from affecting us is to stop using them. As simple as that. However, taking into account how busy and demanding the society we live in is, in which it is very difficult for us to do our obligations on time, coupled with the fact that we are hyperconnected, makes this advice very easy to say but almost impossible to do.

Fortunately, and especially aimed at those who can hardly afford to turn off their computer at 10:00 p.m., there are some alternatives to prevent the screen from seriously affecting our biorhythms. There are special programs, such as F.lux, that allow you to calibrate the intensity of light, preventing the brain from thinking that we are in broad daylight. This application changes the color of the screen throughout the day, being colder in the morning and warmer at night.

In case you have problems with the screens due to simple abuse of them, either looking at the mobile too much or staying up late at night playing video games, here the best option that can be taken is to heal in health and wonder if you have a problem with new technologies. What message are we going to receive at night? What good is it for us to look at the latest that such an influencer has posted at this hour?

The computer, mobile or tablet, if its use is not strictly necessary, it is better to have them turned off at night. Given that the use of screens is not innocuous and that using them at night implies sleep problems, using them without having an obligation may be due to an addiction to new technologies, something that requires the intervention of a professional.

Bibliographic references:

• Stevens, R. G and Zhu, Y. (2015) Electric light, particularly at night, disrupts human circadian rhythmicity: is that a problem? Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B37020140120 http://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2014.0120.