How cutting screen time can improve your health

Camille: Welcome to "Health Break" by UPMC Health Plan, your quick guide to health, wellness, and how to make the most of your health insurance plan. I’m your host, Dr. Camille Clarke-Smith. This is your…"Health Break."

Screens are everywhere—from our phones and laptops to TVs and tablets. While technology keeps us connected, too much screen time can have negative effects on our health. But what happens when we unplug?

In this episode, Jenny Csonka takes a "Health Break" to explore the benefits of reducing screen time, including improvements in mental well-being, physical health, and even our social connections.

Welcome, Jenny, and thank you for joining us on today’s “Health Break.”

Jenny: Thanks for having me.

Camille: So first question, Jenny: How does too much screen time affect mental and emotional health?

Jenny: Sure. That’s a great question. So when we’re engaging with our device, we’re not engaging with something else—or someone else—so we’re not building connections. And that can be with our family or friends or even our community.

And with more screen time, it has been shown that that can increase our stress, anxiety and depression. Social media is really big out there for all age groups. We look to see what others are doing, friends and family and celebrities. But with that, we start to compare ourselves. And it can really decrease our self-worth and our perception of ourselves.

So when we’re more engaged in our device, we’re not putting time into either our health and wellness in the areas of stress management or eating better or moving.

Camille: So what are the physical health benefits of cutting back on screen time?

Jenny: There’s a lot. So when we’re not focused on our screen, we could be out moving more or playing, if we’re kids. We can be engaging with our community. We could be volunteering. We could also be getting better sleep. You know, sometimes we’re on our screens up until bedtime, so a decrease in screen time means less of that light so we can get continued sleep. We could also see less eyestrain, better posture, less headaches.

We could also see less snacking. We hear more and more from individuals that when they’re on their device, they’re snacking more.

Camille: Interesting. Sounds like screen time is a barrier to healthy activities, huh?

Jenny: It can be, for many of us.

Camille: So my last question for you is what are some simple ways people can start reducing screen time in their daily lives?

Jenny: So there’s a number of ways. So in our phones, especially with the newer versions, they’ll give us that picture of our app usages. And we can see if there’s a particular app or time of day that we’re using it and maybe think of that as the first step. Here’s the app I want to cut down on, and here’s the window of time that I’m most using it, so I could be cutting it down here.

For parents, we have family controls on our kids’ phones. We can limit the time that they’re in their apps as well, and have shut off times, you know, say a 7 p.m. time when they no longer are able to get into their devices.

And we can also set device-free zones in our house—so nothing at the dinner table, say nothing at the bedroom—and find other ways to be engaging with others. So maybe we go out for walks, we go and read. We have that to do list, this is a great time to get to it when we’re not in our screens. So you have to find what works best for you or the family.

So there’s health coaching services available here at UPMC Health Plan to help members bring everything in, you know, kind of juggle all those balls that are in the air for us.

Camille: Sounds like all good health benefits. I know my mom says no phones around the table, so I understand that one.

Thank you so much, Jenny, for joining us on today’s “Health Break.”

Jenny: Thanks for having me.

Camille:Find show notes and more information at upmchealthplan.com/podcast. Join us as we continue exploring health, wellness, and how to make the most of your health insurance plan in the next episode of "Health Break".

Find show notes and more information at upmchealthplan.com/podcast. Join us as we continue exploring health, wellness, and how to make the most of your health insurance plan in the next episode of "Health Break".

This podcast is for informational and educational purposes. It is not medical care or advice. Individuals in need of medical care should consult their personal care provider.

Views and opinions expressed by the hosts and guests are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect those of UPMC Health Plan and its employees.