It’s time to rethink your lifestyle if you’re spending too much time looking up things or scrolling on your phone. Research shows that an increase in phone screentime can lower your lifespan.
Screentime and heavy smartphone usage linked to a shorter life
New research suggests that spending long hours every day on your smartphone can reduce lifespan. According to research by experts at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging in California, smartphone screentime has damaging effects on your eyes. In addition to negatively impacting other body processes, light exposure from the screen disrupts the circadian rhythm and worsens for people with chronic diseases. The eyes have stronger immune defenses since they are constantly exposed to the outside world. However, when they become overactive due to heavy light exposure from using the phone for long hours, it disrupts the internal process of our body. This in turn harms other organs.
What is the link between screen light and health?
“Staring at computer and phone screens, and being exposed to light pollution well into the night are conditions very disturbing for circadian clocks. It messes up protection for the eye and that could have consequences beyond just the vision, damaging the rest of the body and the brain,” stated Dr. Pankaj Kapahi. Dr. Kapahi is a professor and nutrition expert from the Buck Institute. “Every cell in the body usually operates on a circadian clock in one way or the other. This clock operates on 24-hour cycles. Light exposure can disrupt it,” added Dr. Brian Hodge, another scientist.
Scientists found the shocking news after researching fruit flies. They divided fruitflies into two groups. One group received an unrestricted diet while the other received just 10 percent protein compared to the first group’s diet. The genes related to photoreceptors were highly active in the diet-restricted flies. Additionally, they found that flies who were kept in the dark lived longer than the rest. This shows that circadian rhythm is very important for a longer lifespan. It is vital for regulating the body’s internal sleep-wake cycle and a disruption to it has negative effects.