Digital Fatigue is real, whether you work from home or not. You might not realize just how much time you spend staring at a screen
Digital fatigue is a type of visual fatigue or digital eye strain. This type of visual fatigue is the physical discomfort that is experienced after prolonged exposure to a digital screen such as a laptop, computer, mobile phone, e-reader, or tablet. It can affect many things other than your eyes
Sleep deprivation is a hallmark sign of digital fatigue since an excess of screen time can suppress melatonin (the sleep hormone), It disrupts our sleep patterns (circadian rhythms), which in turn reduces our REM sleep. As imagined, this makes us a lot less alert upon waking. Much of it is to do with the emission of blue light from your digital screen.
Blue light emitted from digital screens penetrates deep into the structure of our skin, where our collagen and elastin live. It wreaks havoc by degrading our skin’s structure leading to fine lines and wrinkles, and even loss of firmness. Besides that, an excess of too much screen time can cause stress leading to conditions like acne. But, the good news is that there are natural ways to decrease or even combat the risk of getting digital fatigue.
- Get an alarm clock. This might sound old-school but the thought process behind it isn’t. By keeping your phone out of the bedroom, you’ll reduce the temptation of falling asleep looking at your phone which not only makes us groggy and moody the next morning but also has been shown to impair our ability to have creative and original thoughts. Crazy!
- Disconnect on a walk. During the day, going on brief 10-15 minute walks without your phone can be stress-relieving and just the boost you need to get through the rest of your day! It also helps you refocus, and recommit to being fully present. Namaste!
- Set a schedule (on paper). Just for fun, set a schedule during a certain time period, where you don’t get on your phone. Pretty soon, that schedule will become a habit.
- Buy yourself a Blue Light Filter. Seriously, these things are life-saving! You can purchase blue light filters for just about any one of your devices. Blue light filters can help reduce eye strain, therefore, helping you sleep better, in turn decreasing fatigue.
- Read A Paperback. Dust off those old classic paperbacks, pour yourself a glass of wine, and read the old-fashioned way. Although scrolling on your phone is convenient, it’s the slow tangible turn of a page that may just be more fun and stress-free.
