Not just neck pain: How longer screen time is quietly damaging your health

As digital dependency grows, experts warn that prolonged screen time is taking a toll on posture, sleep, and overall health, with many of its effects deeply interconnected

In today’s digital world, screens have become central to our daily lives - from checking emails the moment we wake up to working on desktops and unwinding with videos on our phones. On average, people now spend 6–7 hours daily in front of a screen. While neck pain is the most common complaint, doctors warn the toll of prolonged screen exposure runs deeper, affecting posture, sleep, vision, and even metabolic health.

   

Problems beyond neck pain

 

A surge in posture-related pain is now being reported among younger adults, not just older professionals. Doctors attribute this to prolonged inactivity, poor posture, and inadequate exposure to sunlight. 

 

 

Dr Lipika Parulekar, internal medicine at Lilavati Hospital, Mumbai, told Business Standard, “From a clinical context, we have already noticed an early decline in bone mineral density. Muscle deconditioning from sedentary habits weakens spinal support, which increases the risk of chronic pain and injury. Bad posture, particularly the forward head posture, and spending prolonged periods (more than 30 minutes) of sitting increases spinal stress and increases injury risks. Additionally, reduced vitamin D synthesis due to no outdoor activity impairs calcium absorption, subtly compromising bone integrity over time.”

 

Spending long hours on computers has given rise to a range of disorders, prompting terms like tech neck, text claw, sitting disease, dead butt syndrome, and digital fatigue syndrome to become part of common medical language.

 

Eye strain & sleep disruption

 

Extended screen hours also lead to digital eye strain, characterised by blurred vision, dryness, and fatigue.

 

"According to the American Optometric Association, two hours of continuous screen use can cause eye strain," said Dr Navya C, Consultant Ophthalmologist, Dr Agarwals Eye Hospital. “Symptoms include watering, sensitivity to light, red eyes, irritation, blurred vision, and double vision.

 

She further explained that the blue light emitted by these screen disrupts melatonin production, leading to delayed circadian rhythms and sleep issues. “More studies have proven more screen time especially near bed time directly results in poor sleep quality and hence has numerous adverse physical and physiological manifestations like obesity and diabetes mellitus. It can lead to a variety of sleep issues including reduced sleep duration, delayed sleep onset, poor sleep quality with adverse impact on cognitive and emotional development,” she added.

 

Metabolic & cardiovascular toll

 

Dr Parulekar said that prolonged screen use combined with sedentary behaviour negatively affects cardiovascular and metabolic health—even in otherwise active individuals.

 

“It increases blood pressure, lowers circulation, causes central obesity, and increases metabolic syndrome risk factors. Even in those who are active, a sedentary lifestyle with prolonged screen use interrupted lipid profiles, with increased inflammatory markers, impaired glucose regulation, an increased risk of hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and vascular dysfunction,” she added.

 

Mental health and cognitive effects

 

Higher screen time is directly related to higher rates of depression, anxiety, and emotional dysregulation, particularly in children and adolescents. Experts say that excessive screen time may hinder attention span, working memory, and executive function, potentially from cognitive overload, inhibition, and interference with the brain's functioning and integration as neural connections adapt and change. 

 

“Longer screen time, especially when done without practicing appropriate digital detox measures can result in disruption of sleep-wake cycle, cause mental fatigue, concentration lapses, decrease performance and cognitive blunting in some cases,” said Dr Kedar Tilwe, consultant psychiatrist with Fortis Hospital Mulund & Hiranandani Hospital.

 

Dr Parulekar added, “Recent research also shows that excessive screen time may relate to cortical thinning and reduced grey matter volume in regions of the brain involved in emotion and cognition.” 

 

How to reduce screen time and counter its side effects

 

The consequences aren’t isolated: poor posture, eye strain, sleep loss, poor metabolic health and mental stress are interwoven threads of a larger wellness crisis. Without intervention, today's reversible complaints may evolve into chronic conditions.

 

Experts suggest the following steps-  

• Setting time limits
• Creating device-free zones
• Avoiding screens for at least 1 hour before sleep to maintain circadian rhythm
• Keeping track of usage patterns and
• Turning off notifications for non-essential alerts
• Structured non-screen time routines
• Outdoor physical activity
• Social contact to balance emotional drain
• Using raised screens, supportive chairs to maintain an upright spine
• Taking micro-breaks, stretching every 30–60 minutes
• 20-20-20 rule for eyes (every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds)

   

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This report is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice.