Credits: Social Media
Worrying thing that happens in your brain when you stare at a screen all day
We are all told to cut down on our screen time, but do you know what staring at your computer or phone all day actually does to your brain?
Looking at screens is not only bad for your eyes, affects your sleep and causes headaches, it can also result in brain fatigue, that feeling of mental exhaustion you get when you can’t concentrate any more. Most worryingly, this can damage neurons.
What happens in your brain when you stare at screens
Neuroscientist Dr Rachel Barr explains that neurons, the nerve cells that send messages all over your body and allow you to do everything from breathing to eating and walking, are “hungry little creatures” that are fuelled by oxygen and glucose.
However, your brain never runs out of this energy, even on extremely “cognitively demanding” days (like sitting on a computer for hours), because it’s able to shuffle resources around to whichever structures and regions need it the most.
Over the centuries, this worked fine because people were using different regions of their brains all the time. Now we live in a tech-focussed world, people are staring at screens for eight or more hours per day and constantly using the same part of their brain, which creates issues.
- BOOST YOUR BRAIN HEALTH: Brain training games can boost brain health but wont prevent dementia, neurologist says
If you’re using the same structures of all day, the glucose and oxygen levels accumulate faster than your brain is able to clear it away. This accumulation of the brain’s “waste products” causes feelings of mental fatigue.
This state of tiredness sets in when your brain’s energy levels are depleted, causing decreased productivity and cognitive performance by limiting a person’s inability to process information and concentrate, a PeerJ report explains.
If this process is repeated over time, it can damage the neurons inside the brain. This stops your brain from sending information in the normal way, causing changes in a person’s behavior such as speech issues or mobility problems.
Always take regular breaks when using screens all day
Many have no choice but to stare at screens all day, due to work or school, so how can you ensure you’re protecting your brain while doing so? The best thing to do is take regular breaks away from the screen throughout the day.
The Health and Safety Executive, a British government body responsible for the enforcement of workplace health, recommends taking short breaks often rather than longer ones less often. For example, a 5 to 10-minute break every hour is better than 20 minutes every two hours.
This gives your brain a chance to focus on something else and use different structures, while also giving your eyes a rest too. The 20-20-20 rule for looking at screens is another popular method that encourages you to remember to take breaks.
During your break, get up and do something completely different, like going out for a walk or unstacking the dishwasher. This task will use different areas of your brain, reducing the risk of brain fatigue and neuron damage.
Dr Rachel Barr is a neuroscientist specializing in the electrophysiology of sleep and memory.�She has a Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology and is also a professor at Georgetown University.
