Why It’s Good To Have Less Screen Time

Everyone uses screens for at least a small portion of the day, but many people use them almost non-stop. From the TV to a laptop to smartphones and tablets, it all adds up to many, many hours spent staring at a screen. In a lot of instances, this staring is necessary for work, for socializing, even for relaxing, but that doesn’t mean that too much of it is good for us. In fact, in some cases, it can be very bad indeed. 

 

There are still studies ongoing that are focused on determining exactly how bad these hours of screen time are (the devices haven’t been around long enough, but the findings so far certainly suggest that we should all cut down if at all possible. Here are some of the reasons why. 

It’s Bad For Your Health

Screen time is bad for your health in several different ways, but perhaps the most obvious is your fitness level and weight. When you are using your screens, you will most likely be in a sedentary position, either sitting at a desk or on a sofa, or perhaps lying down in bed. Where you are, whatever you are doing, the lack of physical activity can mean that you just aren’t getting enough exercise. Not only that, but your circulation can be affected because you aren’t moving around enough. The key to a healthy amount of screen time in this case is to limit yourself to a shorter amount of time each day and use the rest of the time you would have been in front of the screen exercising. 

 

If this is not possible due to work, you should leave your desk and walk around the office – or, better yet, outside – every hour to ensure your circulation isn’t restricted. 

 

Planning Becomes Difficult 

If you’ve been wondering why your ability to make plans seems to have deserted you, and you can no longer process times and dates as well as you once did, this could be because of the amount of screen time you are currently having. Studies have shown that those who spend a lot of time in front of their screens (particularly those who play lots of video games) tend to have less brain function in their frontal lobes. One of the problems this causes is your ability to plan properly. 

 

Planning your day-to-day life is something that can help us immensely. We need to know what we can get done and when, such as organizing mold and water damage restoration, and we need to understand how much money is in the bank. We also need to be able to plan things even further ahead, such as vacations and breaks away, for example. 

 

Your Brain Can Suffer 

We know that too much screen time can cause us physical damage and harm, but it can also be an issue when it comes to your brain’s performance too. This could be due to the way that this technology ‘uses’ the brain and teaches it to work. If you want your memory to improve and you want to have your brain working at its very best, reducing screen time is the way to do it. On top of this, you can also do brain training games, or perhaps just enjoy a good book or find a hobby to stimulate your brain. 

 

Some apps and games can indeed be used on our devices for brain enhancement too, and these can be useful but not if they make you use even more of your time up using a screen.