Now-a-days electronic devices have become an indispensable part of our daily lives, and the addiction of social media is excessively prominent among all ages. While smart phones are powerful tools, they can impact us physically, mentally and emotionally, if used in excess.
● Affects eyes adversely The blue light which is emitted from these devices is a short wavelength and a high energy visible light.It disrupts eye focus and may cause long-term retinal strain. Constant screen exposure leads to dryness, irritation, and fatigue of eyes, with the most damage on the skin, on the eye contour area. The skin is highly sensitive and fragile and blue light causes hyperpigmentation and premature ageing of this area. This is caused by build-up of oxidative stress which leads to the breakdown of Collagen and Elastin.
● Disrupts Circadian Rhythm The artificial light worsens our circadian rhythm which is the signal our body gives us to sleep- by convincing our brain at night that it's still daytime. This supresses our production of melatonin.
Blue light keeps us awake twice as much that any other type of light and is the main reason why we struggle to get quality sleep and have restless nights. Doctors and researchers have found a connection between poor sleep and a significant increase in people with depression, diabetes and cardiovascular complications. Blue light glasses are recommended to people who have late work shifts and must look at the screen all night.
- Affects Brain Function Brain detoxifies, neurons repair and memory is consolidated during deep sleep. Blue light from the phone disrupts sleep due to which brain cannot clean waste proteins and it leads to cognitive decline over time. Also, prolonged screen use keeps your brain's visual cortex and attention systems active for too long and causes brain fatigue.
Studies have shown that compared to reading on a paper medium, reading on a smartphone elicits fewer sighs, promotes brain over activity in the prefrontal cortex and result in reduced comprehension. Additional studies found that adults who engage in excessive screen time or have smartphone addiction have lower grey matter volume. Moreover, constant notifications and social media 'likes' trigger dopamine, creating dependency.
This can lead to anxiety, irritability and short attention spans. Frequent multitasking on phones lowers cognitive performance and short-term memory.
● Strains Neck and Spine Bending your head forward while using the phone for long periods strains neck and spine muscles.This posture causes chronic stiffness or even cervical issues. Overuse of smart phones also causes tendon inflammation and pain around thumbs and wrists (De Quervain's syndrome).
● Affects skin adversely Even with all these concerning factors, the blue light does more damage to your skin than ultraviolet rays emitted by the sun.This creates damage and weakness in our skin barrier which causes our skin to become prone to inflammation, skin sensitivity, irritated and dry skin. Blue light also makes our skin sensitive to acne and breakouts as it triggers our hormones and inflammation.