The Upsides of Screen Downtime for the Brain

Living in the 21st century, it is safe to say that we are living in a digital era. In this digitally dominant world, it’s virtually impossible to do with our devices. Screen time and excessive internet use is a growing problem - what is the impact on the brain and our overall wellbeing?

Using screens for extended periods, especially late at light, can result in insomniac tendencies. The light we expose ourselves in this process is known as blue light. Blue light, part of the electromagnetic spectrum, comes naturally from the sun. The blue light scatters more than red light, hence we see the sky as largely blue during daytime. The screens we’re on emit blue light, as well - due to their LED technology. When our brain observes that blue light, the instinct is to associate that blue light we’re so used to seeing in daytime - with daytime. Hence, our brain temporarily stops producing melatonin because of our using screens at night, causing hormone imbalances. Melatonin is a hormone key for our sleep, produced as a response to darkness. As a result of this lack of melatonin production, we find it hard to catch sleep when we finally call it a night and end up putting our devices away. In turn, our hours of sleep are impacted further. But that’s not it. It also impacts our quality, of REM sleep and interferes with our circadian rhythm (body clock and routine). This has a domino effect, as the next day we end up feeling drowsy because of not being well-rested. That impacts our focus on our daily tasks, classes, or work. Consistent use of screens at night leads to consistent fatigue and lack of quality sleep, impacting brain activity and the ability to focus.

Screen time for entertainment, without exercising control, leads to addiction. When we start following a routine practice of watching x number of hours watching TV for recreation, for example - our brain produces dopamine. Dopamine is the hormone that the brain produces when we’re happy or satisfied. This creates a reward system when we continuously engage in that screen time, making us feel good. At some point, because we’re so used to that same reaction to that much screen time - soon, we’re not satisfied with x hours and the time needs to be tripled - for us to feel good. In a way, we get desensitised to our screen time, and how much ever we watch - it feels like it is not enough. This leads to overindulgence and screen addiction, and such mood swings are not healthy for us.

Excessive use of devices also results in a reduced ability for the brain to focus and be creative. Studies show that time spent outdoors, rather than indoors, acts as a stress reliever, realigns our focus and attention, and enhances our mood.

So, instead of spending endless hours on electronics, it would be beneficial to our mental and physical health, as well as our overall behavior - when we put the devices away. In doing this, not only do we sleep better, think better, and live better - we also become happier people and perform better in our day-to-day lives. It might be a challenge with the way our lives are connected with technology nowadays, however, we can make a conscious effort to regulate screen time.

Works Cited

Cross, Jennifer. “What Does Too Much Screen Time Do to Kids’ Brains?” NewYork-Presbyterian, Health Matters, 8 Aug. 2019, healthmatters.nyp.org/what-does-too-much-screen-time-do-to-childrens-brains/.

Ruder, Debra Bradley. “Screen Time and the Brain | Harvard Medical School.” Harvard.edu, Harvard Medical School, 19 June 2019, hms.harvard.edu/news/screen-time-brain.

“Screen Time.” Wikipedia, 30 Nov. 2023, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Screen_time#Brain_development. Accessed 3 Dec. 2023.

Serrano, Jamie. “Experts Can’t Agree on How Much Screen Time Is Too Much for Adults.” Time, 9 May 2022, time.com/6174510/how-much-screen-time-is-too-much/.

Stanborough, Rebecca Joy. “What’s Blue Light, and How Does It Affect Our Eyes?” Healthline, 16 Apr. 2021, www.healthline.com/health/what-is-blue-light.

“What Does Screen Time Do to My Brain? | SUNY Potsdam.” Www.potsdam.edu, www.potsdam.edu/studentlife/wellness/counseling-center/what-does-screen-time-do-my-brain.