With all the increased screen time of late is it any wonder that you may be feeling the effects?
I recently had a question in my coaching group about screen time.
After a period of screen time, the individual was feeling their head starting to spin, feeling unable to focus with blurred vision and felt as though they were inebriated. Obviously a little concerned they reached out for help.
So, why this would happen and how could they prevent it from happening again?
I thought this was a really interesting topic, and so i wanted to share with you all, as it could potentially help you too.
This happens because the blue light exposure from the screen time actually starves the mitochondria (the power houses that create energy in your cells) of oxygen. It gets used up more quickly in the process of producing energy.
The blue light weakens the photon (light) receptors in the retina of your eyes and in your skin and this affects the energy production, messes with the CO2 sensors throughout the body, which stimulate oxygen absorption and also messes with your circadian biology and all that goes along with hormone production.
The dizziness/ drunk feeling is due to the reduced amount of glucose going to the brain for 3 main reasons:
The reduced energy production in the mitochondria, and
The increased energy use/ requirements- the optic nerve uses a lot of energy, and the brain using 22% of all the energy in the body, so it’s all getting used up.
Blood pressure is influenced by the the glucose requirements (energy). If there’s not enough then the blood becomes ‘coagulated’ and can’t flow as readily and so the pressure needs to increase for the same volume to circulate at the right speed- to transport the oxygen and nutrients.
So what are the best short term ways to mitigate this:
Download Iris onto your monitor- It is a filter for your screen and his will also mitigate the need for blue blocking glasses which are more expensive, especially when need prescription lenses. The iris filter is a game changer- you can adjust the levels to suit the environment and time of day. If you have A LOT of screen time it's always my first go to recommendation for my clients. It does look a little weird to start off, but you get used to it and it's much better for your long term wellness. It has many many other wellness benefits too. I like this in favour of the clip on filters or the blue blocking glasses, because they are easy to forget or are inconvenient. One if the additional benefits is you can add this to all your tech- tablets, laptops, phones, PCs and it’s inexpensive- at about $10 for life.
Take regular breaks from the screen- I would certainly recommend 10 minutes every hour if you are there for a long while. When you take breaks from the screen try to get into natural light and take off your glasses if you wear them as they block the photon receptors in the eye from receiving the natural light.
Whilst your on a break, re orient yourself to your environment. Move your eyes, your head, see what’s around you. Stretch, move and you’ll find this helps reset the nervous system. Blue light is a stressor to the nervous system so this helps to reduce its impact on the body. You should also try to look away from the screen when you can during your work time and re orient yourself for 30 seconds.
Ensure you are hydrated- blue light dehydrated cells. So drinking good quality water that is either distilled, filtered or reverse osmosis water is a pre-requisite for you. I highly recommend the Berkey gravity water filters and the Pure water distiller. What I will say is that where possible also try to cortex your water- essentially this is bringing life back to the water- I like the annelema or adding fulvic acid (You’ll need the Practitioner code: ZYxEAFq5)
Good nutrition and being hydrated will help, structured water form fruits like berries can support your hydration levels and ensuring that you are eating enough calories and nutrients, as its easy to forget when you’re working hard.
The best thing you can do is to reduce the screen time where possible, if you can’t then don’t go sit and watch TV or stare at another screen after- get outside and go for a short walk- helps to reset system.
In the longer term there is lots more I can advise- honestly there is a great deal involved, and I could tell you all about the cellular interactions, as a total geek this is what I love… but you don’t want to know all about that.
Anyway, let me know if you found this helpful.
If you’re interested in discovering how you can enhance your own wellness then message me back.
