Many people spend hours glued to their electronic devices, even to the point of addiction. Whether it’s a smartphone or tablet, there are plenty of people who find themselves paying too much attention to their digital screens. Always being focused on the digital world can take a toll on your mental and physical health, and ultimately lower your quality of life. Many people experience a sensory overload from being connected for too long. As such, it’s important to take a break from the screens, withdraw from all the connections you have online, and give yourself a time of doing anything else but screen time. A digital detox may be just the thing that you need to self-restrict from your devices and break the habits that are taking over your life.
A digital detox is a set of timeouts from using electronic devices (such as smartphones, tablets, TVs, and computers), either completely or for specific types of use (1). It can be a length of time during which you intentionally self-restrict your online presence, either by disconnecting completely or minimizing the amount of time spent connected online through your devices. Also, it can take whatever form you choose, whether you decide to restrict yourself to a single digital device or give up using all your digital devices for a period.
When you unplug yourself from your technological devices or make an effort to spend less time on them, according to an article in the journal Education and Information Technologies, you can increase productivity, enhance mental well-being, and even improve social connections. Some specific benefits of a digital detox include:
When you take an intentional break from your digital devices, you minimize your stress levels. You gain a feeling of calm and a sense of relief as you feel less obligated to maintain a social media presence, for example. This can boost your mood and leave you with more positive feelings. Furthermore, a digital detox can help you focus on what’s present around you and not what’s on your screen.
You may spend a lot of time liking, posting, and scrolling when you could be getting more done. Surfing the internet robs you of time that you can use to accomplish more in your actual life, whether at work or home. You can focus more on your responsibilities when you disconnect from your devices.
If you spend a lot of time online, especially on social media comparing yourself to others, you could improve your self-image by taking a break from it all. Doing so could help you to feel better about how you see yourself, boosting your self-image and self-esteem. Comparing yourself to the image people put out on social media is comparing your inside with their outside - and is often not a very complete picture of their lives.
By doing a digital detox, you can become healthier in several ways. When glued to your screens constantly, you can develop several health issues including symptoms such as blurry vision, dry eyes, eye strain, headaches, and teary eyes. You could potentially develop lower back pain and neck issues from being in a hunched position for an extended period. Unplugging can be a relief to parts of your body that are impacted by staying in a particular position for too long.
Sleep disruption is common in people who spend a lot of time online. Taking a break can help you to control your sleep cycle and get back into a normal sleep pattern. Specifically, you can help your body get back into a normal rhythm of knowing when to go to sleep. When this happens, your brain releases melatonin, which helps you relax and drift off to sleep. Stimulus from your digital devices keeps your brain alert and active, delaying melatonin release. So removing this stimulus through a digital detox helps to speed up melatonin release and improve your sleep.
A digital detox can take a few forms. Essentially, you get to choose how many types of devices you need to restrict, what types of use you need to restrict, and for how long.
If you find that your technology use is affecting your physical and mental well-being, you can start to detox digitally in several ways. Here's how to get started:
Switch off notifications: If you are someone who can't resist responding to your message pings or social media alerts, turning off notifications is best. You'll avoid the urge to respond to every sound that comes from your device.If you are guilty of spending an excessive amount of time online and do not remember the last time you weren’t on your device, it’s time to detox. Too much of one thing is not good. You may need a digital detox because the time spent online can lead to:
Research suggests that heavy device use, especially before bedtime, has the potential to disrupt your sleep quality and quantity. You could experience worse and less sleep. Also, in-bed social media can impact your sleep and mood, increasing the likelihood of anxiety, insomnia, and shorter sleep time.
Heavy daily technology use has been linked to an increased risk for mental health issues among adolescents. Excess use of digital technologies has been associated with an increase in symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) and also conduct disorder. Additionally, research suggests that there's a link between social media (such as Facebook, Snapchat, X - formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram) use and a decrease in well-being.
Some people are constantly plugged in online, and this can affect work/life balance. Constant connectivity can lead to difficulty establishing boundaries between your work life and home life. Often feeling like you need to answer emails or complete work tasks when you are trying to rest at home in the evening can lead to feelings of burnout. Consequently, technology use influences overall job satisfaction and stress and can cause feelings of overwork.
Digital overload can affect your mental health by increasing your stress levels. Oftentimes when people connect to their technological devices, they multitask. They switch from one platform to the next, or one app to the next. They also multitask in real life, switching between digital stimuli and real-life problems. When you do this, your body produces more of the hormones cortisol and adrenaline, which can play a role in overstimulating your brain. As such, the constant need to keep up with what’s happening in the digital world, be it work emails, social media, or gaming apps, can cause an increase in your stress levels.
Digital connectivity in excess can cause brain changes. According to a study published in Addictive Behaviors, researchers investigated gray matter volume (GMV) and intrinsic neural activity in individuals with "smartphone addiction" (SPA) compared to a control group. They found that individuals with SPA showed lower GMV in the left anterior insula (the part of the brain that deals with awareness), and in the inferior temporal and parahippocampal cortex of the brain. Additionally, there was lower intrinsic activity in the right anterior cingulate cortex (ACC).
Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome (AFS) is the non-Addison's form of adrenal dysfunction where your body's stress response is unable to keep up with life's chronic stressors. Your body’s cortisol levels increase as it tries to respond to chronic stress. Electromagnetic frequencies (EMF) can increase your stress levels if you are already an AFS sufferer. As such, your cortisol levels would increase and you are likely to become more sensitive to EMF symptoms, many of which correspond with AFS symptoms. Exposure to excessive EMF, such as from cell phones or computer monitors, can trigger excessive metabolites that the Detoxification circuit of the NeuroEndoMetabolic (NEM) response usually works to eliminate from your body. However, it becomes dysregulated in AFS, and the overload of toxins in your body can impact your immune system and your liver. As a result, symptoms such as dizziness, brain fog, insomnia, and anxiety may emerge.
You may need a digital detox if constant technological use causes any of the following:
There are important health reasons for doing a digital detox. Aside from the way keeping your body in a certain position for long periods affects you, or how staring at a screen affects your eyes, there is also how electromagnetic frequencies (EMFs) affect your body.
The world has experienced an explosion in communications and wireless technologies, and with it comes an increase in the background levels of electromagnetic radiation now present on our planet. Electro-pollution is at an all-time high, and the cells of your body function like an antenna. Your body has highly sensitive receivers and transmitters of electromagnetic radiation. This invisible pollutant affects people on a cellular level. You and everyone who watches TV, uses the internet, calls on the phone, or plays computer games contribute to this pollution every day. Still, there is a lack of scientific evidence that 5G affects the human body.
Some of the symptoms of electro-pollution include depression, dizziness, irritability, headaches, tiredness, lack of concentration, and stress. The extent of these symptoms can vary from person to person. If you experience these symptoms and can’t seem to come up with a cause, exposure to EMF could be the culprit. It’s important to first eliminate the obvious causes of these symptoms before arriving at EMF. Another cause of EMF sensitivity can be adrenal fatigue, which makes the whole body more sensitive to stimuli.
SmartDOT is an anti-radiation device that features a dime-sized tiny flat magnet that neutralizes EMF radiation when connected to an EMF-transmitting device — such as a laptop, phone, or baby monitor — through entrainment. Attributed to SmartDot are a boost in energy, improved moods, and fewer headaches. Biotag is a quarter-sized wearable that counteracts the effects of man-made EMF and boosts the natural energy in the body's biofield.
The use of technological devices is a part of many people's lives today. It's not easy to escape them, in your work life or home life. As such, it's crucial to understand how excessive tech use can impact your health and well-being. The good news is that you can take proactive steps to minimize how much time you spend behind a digital screen.
A digital detox can allow you to unplug from your devices and connect with the world around you. If you have concerns, call us at +1 (626) 571-1234 for a free initial consult.
Radtke, Theda, et al. "Digital Detox: An Effective Solution in the Smartphone Era? A Systematic Literature Review." Mobile Media & Communication, 2021, https://doi.org/10.1177/20501579211028647.
Horvath, Juliane, et al. "Structural and Functional Correlates of Smartphone Addiction." Addictive Behaviors, vol. 105, 2020, 106334. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2020.106334.
Nguyen, Vinh T. "The Perceptions of Social Media Users of Digital Detox Apps Considering Personality Traits." Education and Information Technologies, vol. 27, no. 7, 2022, pp. 9293-9316, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-022-11022-7.
A digital detox is a timeout from using electronic devices, either completely or partially, and for a specific period. It can involve focusing on your emotions when you use your device, scheduling unplugging from your device, tracking your usage with apps, disconnecting before bedtime, switching off notifications, downgrading your phone, or going on a detox retreat.
