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There is a link between mental health disorders and time spent on screens

A British doctor has linked increased mental health and anxiety disorders in young people with screen time. According to him, the smartphone is a stress factor throughout the day.

Chronic stress, beware danger

Rangan Chatterjee is a high-profile British doctor known to appear regularly on BBC programs. Almost a year after the publication of his book The Stress Solution , the person concerned was interviewed by theNew York Times in an article from October 14, 2019. In his book, Rangan Chatterjee explains how chronic stress can cause many ailments . It can be about insomnia, depression, high blood pressure, weight gain and metabolic diseases. Some specialists even believe that chronic stress can lead to premature aging, a weakening of the immune system, or the onset of heart disease.

It presents the case of a patient with type 2 diabetes , a 53-year-old businessman. However, the latter was unable to lower his blood sugar level despite an adapted program including physical activity and diet. The doctor advised him to turn off his computer an hour and a half before bedtime and try yoga and meditation. As a result, the patient's blood sugar level returned to normal after just one month.

There is a link between mental health disorders and time spent on screens

Reduce screen exposure

In his work, the doctor does not necessarily recommend eliminating the consumption of sugar or alcohol. On the other hand, it is a question of targeting the origin of the stress generating the desire to consume these products! According to him, screens represent this source of stress on a daily basis, from morning until night. Thus, Rangan Chatterjee advises to reduce the daily time spent on screens . This should ideally be accompanied by an optimization of food and sleep. Doing activities that bring pleasure can also help, such as listening to music, going for a walk or playing with your children.

Also, combine all this with relaxing morning routines can have positive effects. In this sense, the doctor describes an exercise called "breathing 3-4-5". It involves inhaling for three seconds, then holding the breath for four seconds before exhaling slowly for five seconds.

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