Have you ever lost track of time as you stayed up late scrolling through your phone, only to be left tired the next day and trudging through your waking hours? If that is you, you are not alone. Many of us are living with poor sleep patterns, never-ending stress, and constant screen time. What we don’t realize, is that all three habits are relative to one another and they can silently contribute to our future of poor health.

In this article, we will discuss how sleep, stress, and screen time impact our lives, how they can create an unhealthy cycle, and what we can do to protect our health.

The Struggle of Sleep.

Sleep is often the first thing we forfeit when we are busy with our lives, but adults require 7-8 hours of good quality sleep each night in order to recharge our bodies and minds. If we do not get restorative sleep, then:

• Our immune system becomes weaker and we get sick frequently.
• Our memories and concentration are not as strong and may impact work or studies,
• Mood swings are more frequent and we can become irritable easily,
• Diabetes, obesity, and heart problems are a greater risk.

To make matters worse, most screens are used during late-night hours which introduces more problems. The blue light emitted from phones, tablets, and laptops changes messaging to the brain about wakefulness. Social media scrolling or binge-watching also overstimulates the mind, making it harder to relax and fall asleep.

The Stress Cycle

Stress has become a fact of life for most of us: work deadlines, worries about finances, and students feeling pressure to do well on exams. While stress for a period of time can occasionally better our performance, chronic stress is damaging.

Once stress remains elevated over a period of time, the body releases excessive amounts of cortisol or “the stress hormone.” Consequences include:

• Weight gain and more belly fat.
• High blood pressure and more likely to experience heart disease.
• Anxiety, depression and mood instability.
• Difficulty sleeping, which leads to more stress.

And this is where the cycle starts: stress makes sleeping worse and poor sleep makes it harder for us to deal with stress.

Screen Time Overload

Over the past few years the number of hours we are in front of a screen, whether for work, or school, or entertainment, is greater than at any time in history. Research suggests we average over 7 hours of daily screen use on phones, computers or televisions.

The potential negative affects to our health from too much screen time are more than can be imagined:

• Eyes: Digital eye strain, dry eyes, blurred vision, and headaches
• Body: Neck and back pain associated with poor posture
• Mind: Increase in restlessness, anxiety and inability to focus
• Sleep: Late night screen usage delays the release of melatonin (the hormone that signals when it is time to sleep)

With more time on screens, it gets even harder to disconnect and relax.

The Vicious Cycle

These three factors do not exist on their own, they feed one another:

• Stress can make it hard to sleep.
• Lack of sleep can increases stress and leads into late night scrolling.
• Increased screen time contributes to stress and lack of sleep.

This is a vicious cycle that is not easy to break, but small changes can make a consequential impact.

Summary

Sleep, stress and screen time are linked, they can wreak havoc on physical and mental wellbeing. Habits of daily living (for example limiting screen time, engaging in relaxation rituals and sufficient sleep over the long haul) can help mitigate the unhealthful cycles.

If you are concerned about sleep, stress and screen time effects on health, connect with a trusted healthcare professional. At MAcare Polyclinic, we have specialists with experience who can provide care tailored to your needs, allowing you to engage with your own health today and for a better tomorrow.