Is the Internet Leading to Unhealthy Habits?

The use of the Internet has increased immensely throughout the last few years. Did you know the estimated number of users globally is more than 4 billion people? There are countless apps and websites that take up our time daily.

Are you one of those people who spends all their time on apps and websites?

Do you find yourself choosing screen time over a family meal or getting active?

Well… you’re not alone and research has started to look at the link between an increase in screen time and your overall health.

Current Research

A study published in Advanced Nutritioninvestigated the connection between internet use and the possibility of becoming overweight or obese. The study was a systematic review of nine studies that represented 38,537 participants from the United States, Canada, China, Turkey, and several European countries.The reviewfound that people who used the internet more developed some unhealthy habits like skipping meals. They also found that frequent internet users had a 47% greater chance of becoming overweight or obese than infrequent users.

It seems like a no brainer that people who use the internet more frequently would have a higher risk of obesity as it usually coincides with physical inactivity. However, there many be other factors that still need to be researched to understand the relationship. Therefore, more research is needed.

Despite needing more research, we can still take from this review the importance to reduce our screen time.

3 Tips on Limiting Screen time

I think we all have been on our phone or laptop far more than needed. It’s so easy today, especially with social media and Google giving us the ability toget lost in the internet for hours on end.

Here are some tips on decreasing your internet time:

When you’re bored, instead of grabbing your phone or laptop to go online, go for walk, call a friend, or partake in some other activity you enjoy.
Set a time limit: If you want to check your social media or do something else on the internet, give yourself a select amount of time to use it and then be done with it, that way you don’t lose your day.
Turn off your devices when you’re not using them. We can all easily get distracted when our phone or computer beeps or rings, so turn your devices off for a few hours in the day and focus your energy on something else.

Today access to the internet is so easy and it can be very tempting. Instead of spending time online, spend time with love ones, try new things, and stay active!

Your turn to take action:What’s something you’ll do this week to limit your internet time? Leave your comments below!