How can surfing the internet affect your well-being?

November 8th, 2012

In our current world, there is a constant temptation to watch TV or surf the internet for hours. We’ve all done it, we jump from one web page to another to another not realizing hours have passed. We should not limit our social interaction to online. More and more studies are showing that excessive time on the Internet can lead to depression, and the lack of activity can lead to obesity. My recommendation is for everyone to be mindful of non-work related internet time. Set up a simple kitchen timer next to your computer.

Many of us are spending excessive time on the internet at bedtime.  The bright light from computer screens and ipads can stimulate sensors in the brain to think it is daylight and throw off your body’s circadian rhythm.  This may make it more difficult to get good quality sleep.  Another problem is the delay of sleep to surf the net.  I have some patients who say they surf the net for hours, and go to bed at 1 or 2 AM and wake up very sleepy.  While I understand the internet can be very entertaining and can be informative, I advise these patients to set a “bed time alarm” just as they would set an alarm to wake up in the morning.  Getting enough sleep is very important for maintaining a good immune system, improve cognitive functioning, and recent studies show there may be a link between sleep and prevention of diabetes.