7 Dangers of Being on Your Laptop All the Time

It’s surprising how many hours an average person spends in front of their laptop daily. Overusing your laptop can negatively impact your health. From eye conditions and chronic joint pains to lazy thinking and sleep deprivation, too much computer use can have negative impacts on you both physically and mentally. Take a detailed look at the dangers of constantly being on your laptop and use this information to better allocate your screen time.

1. Vision Damage

Spending too much time on your laptop means staring at a bright screen for hours on end. Laptop screens emit blue light, putting strain on your eyes. A study published by the International Journal of Ophthalmology reveals that this blue light emitted by the laptop screen can cause long-term retinal damage.

Since laptop overuse puts strain on your eyes, you may also become more susceptible to conditions such as myopia, in which it becomes hard to see distant objects.

Also, people usually blink much less when staring at their laptop screen. When we blink, tears coat our eyes, keeping them protected. However, when the blinking reduces, the tears dry out quickly, leaving the eyes exposed and causing pain and irritation. Thankfully, many chrome extensions can help you reduce eye strain. Using a darker window theme also helps minimize blue light exposure.

2. Screen Addiction

According to a report published by Common Sense Media, 50% of teenagers feel addicted to their mobile devices. Once screen addiction sets in, it can be really difficult to get rid of it. Children and teens who use laptops regularly are most prone to this addiction, but it can develop later in life as well.

Screen addicts suffer a myriad of problems, both mentally and physically. They also miss out on more productive uses of their time. According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, screen addiction has also been linked to lower grades and mood swings.

A major symptom of this addiction is feeling like time flies by when you’re glued to the screen. Another symptom is not being able to put your phone down even when it’s causing you headaches and eye strain. It’s important you keep an eye out for such symptoms. Turning your push notifications off and finding other ways to spend your time are some of the best strategies for limiting your screen time.

3. Reduced Physical Activity Hours

Laptop overuse can significantly reduce your physical activity hours. Too much laptop use is often accompanied by a sedentary lifestyle. If your body is not getting enough physical activity and exercise, your muscles will start to lose their strength, and you might gain unhealthy weight.

According to a study by the American Academy of Pediatrics, obesity is one of the most documented outcomes of over-exposure to screen media from devices such as laptops and phones.

4. Decline in Cognitive Ability

Using computers and laptops can improve some aspects of cognitive ability. However, this is only true when screen time is consumed in moderation. In fact, overusing your laptop can reduce your cognitive ability, per a study by Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience.

Excessive screen time is especially harmful to younger individuals since it hinders their cognitive development. It can also result in poor language development and reduced executive abilities.

Even among adults, overusing your laptop promotes lazy thinking. If you’re on your laptop all the time, you might resort to the internet for the solutions to all your problems. Not using your brain for problem-solving will lead to a deterioration of your cognitive abilities.

Excessive screen time may also affect the structure of the brain in young children. This is apparent from the scans conducted during a study by Scientific Reports. The scans showed a lack of natural development in the areas of the brain that handle complex skills.

5. Posture Problems

People who spend too much time on their laptops can develop bad posture. Sometimes, your spine is at an awkward angle when you’re using your laptop. The blood flow to your legs may also be hindered because of how you sit when using your computer.

If maintained for too long, bad posture can cause back, joint, and muscle pains. You can mitigate this by following various ways to keep a healthy posture while working from home. Taking regular breaks from your laptop and walking in the garden or around the block is also a good idea.

6. Sleep Deprivation

The amount of time you spend on your laptop directly impacts sleep quality. Screens emit blue light that can interfere with melatonin production in your body. According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, melatonin is the hormone that tells your body that it’s night and time to sleep.

So, when you're using your screen even at night, your body assumes it's not time to sleep yet. As a result, your sleep cycle gets disturbed. A lack of melatonin keeps you wide awake for much longer. This is why using your laptop right before bedtime can often result in sleep deprivation.

Using a laptop is mostly a solitary act. So, if you overuse your laptop, it may get in the way of your social life. Forming social connections with others becomes more difficult if you spend your whole day on a laptop.

Also, limited interaction with other people may cause your socializing skills to degrade. This is especially problematic for young adults who spend their childhood glued to the screen. Inadequately developed social skills can negatively impact their adult life and future relationships.

Overusing Your Laptop Is Dangerous

Laptops are truly one of the greatest technological inventions. However, you must use laptops in moderation to stay healthy. From sleep deprivation to posture problems, declined cognitive abilities, and damaged vision, the negative effects of laptop overuse can severely impact your life.

Some of these health effects may be treatable, but others, such as chronic pains, lack of social skills, and myopia, can end up sticking with you for life. So it is best to limit your laptop use and prioritize your health.