{"id":134967,"date":"2024-09-11T18:53:06","date_gmt":"2024-09-11T22:53:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=134967"},"modified":"2024-09-11T18:53:06","modified_gmt":"2024-09-11T22:53:06","slug":"5-steps-to-better-screen-habits-and-better-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=134967","title":{"rendered":"5 Steps to Better Screen Habits \u2013 and Better Health"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Capital Blue Cross \u2013 \u00a0<\/strong>THINK<\/em><\/strong><\/a>\u00a0(Trusted Health Information, News, and Knowledge) is a community publication of Capital Blue Cross. Our mission is to provide education, resources, and news on the latest health and insurance issues.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Research clearly shows that too much time on our too-many screens can be harmful to our overall health in a variety of ways. Here are some tips to help lead a healthier digital lifestyle.<\/p>\n

Screens. They\u2019re everywhere \u2013 as closely linked to our lives, it seems, as our limbs.<\/p>\n

Any number of electronic devices ping us perpetually with texts, emails, and alerts, all while social media sucks us into constant conversations.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a lot \u2013 too much at times.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe many screens that connect us to the internet and social media have a lot of great benefits,\u201d said Kelly Brennan, Capital Blue Cross Senior Director of Health Promotion and Wellness. \u201cThey help us feel more connected, allow us to research information quickly, track our physical activity and what we eat, etc. But it\u2019s also important that we stay mindful about our digital well-being. Too much digital engagement can increase anxiety and loneliness for some people, and lead to many other negative outcomes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Screen time\u2019s Scary Side<\/p>\n

Type \u201cdamaging effects of screen time<\/a>\u201d into a Google search, and a slew of studies appear revealing at least 21 harmful impacts. They span everything from increased depression to violence-desensitization, isolation to insomnia, chronic neck pain to vision problems, and more.<\/p>\n

Ongoing studies<\/a>\u00a0by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) are among the most troubling, chronicling excessive screen time\u2019s negative effect on child brain development.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0NIH recommends<\/a>\u00a0two or fewer hours of daily screen time, or 14 hours weekly, particularly for children under 18. But global research shows the average internet-connected person shatters that suggested ceiling, spending more than 6 \u00bd hours a day (U.S. 11-to-14-year-olds spend a whopping nine-plus hours) on a screen, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.<\/p>\n

Better Screen Habits in 5 Steps<\/p>\n

Capital\u2019s Brennan offers five tips to help us both cut back on screen time and use it more wisely:<\/p>\n

Closely monitor your time online:<\/p>\n

While being online with others can help our well-being, scrolling passively through social media can expose us to upsetting content. Set limits \u2013 and stick to them. Being offline allows us to spend time with family and friends, exercise, and pursue hobbies.<\/p>\n

Connect carefully:<\/p>\n

Carefully seek digital resources and social media posts grounded in fact to help ensure you are getting accurate information. Choose posts and content that make you feel good, rather than those you know make you anxious or angry.<\/p>\n

Curate your emails:<\/p>\n

Unsubscribe from emails you never read or use, and delete old emails you don\u2019t need to help create a less stressful inbox.<\/p>\n

Stay offscreen to start and end your day:<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t increase your risk of distraction from good or bad information when you awake or go to sleep. Try a cup of coffee or a walk in the morning, and a book or gentle programming before bed.<\/p>\n

Heed your mental health:<\/p>\n

Whether it\u2019s through physical or mental exercises or counseling, be mindful of your mental well-being.<\/p>\n

Capital Blue Cross Connect<\/a>\u00a0health and wellness centers feature health coaches who can help people increase physical activity and manage stress in ways that help reduce screen time. Capital also offers a VirtualCare telehealth option and can connect members to behavioral health professionals online or by calling 866.322.1657. Some companies, including Capital, offer employee assistance programs that make it easy for employees to access mental health professionals for any issue.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs with most things, too much digital exposure can potentially have negative effects,\u201d Brennan said. \u201cBut if we have a balance and stay mindful about our interactions, we\u2019re more likely to make healthier choices that support our overall health and well-being.\u201d<\/p>\n

You can find more useful articles at\u00a0<\/strong>https:\/\/thinkcapitalbluecross.com\/<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Information provided to TVL by:
\nJERRY REIMENSCHNEIDER
\nSenior Public Relations Specialist | Brand & Market Strategy
\nhttps:\/\/www.capbluecross.com\/<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Capital Blue Cross \u2013 \u00a0THINK\u00a0(Trusted Health Information, News, and Knowledge) is a community publication of Capital Blue Cross. Our mission is to provide education, resources, and news on the … Continue reading 5 Steps to Better Screen Habits \u2013 and Better Health<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":134968,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[69,482,5742],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-134967","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-in-the-valley","category-press-release-2","category-think"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/screens.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134967"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=134967"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134967\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/134968"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=134967"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=134967"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=134967"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}