Social media has a lot of advantages. You can stay in touch with people all over the world, keep on top of all the latest headlines, and be informed about all sorts of interesting things. It also has its disadvantages, like the spread of disinformation and potential damage to mental health. How do you know when your use of social media has become too much (https://longevity.technology/lifestyle/5-signs-youre-suffering-from-popcorn-brain-due-to-social-media/)?
One potential warning sign is when you’re sleeping less or your sleep is poor in quality. This has several components, from the addictive nature of scrolling through social media feeds leading to you staying up later than intended to the blue light from your phone or computer screen making it harder for you to rest. If your natural sleep patterns become too disrupted for too long, you could start experiencing fatigue and irritability, which can have a knock-on effect on other aspects of your health.
Another potentially damaging aspect of social media use is the push for instant gratification. Everything is just a click away, there are flashy headlines trying to generate outrage, and the feed of content is never-ending, without time to pause and consider. This can be damaging to your attention span, leading you to make impulsive decisions elsewhere in your life.
If you’re struggling to concentrate on everyday tasks or your first instinct when something happens is to rush and post on your preferred social media platform, your brain may be too hooked on that instant rush, and you may need to find a way to slow down again. If you can’t relax because thoughts of social media overload your head to the point that you experience anxiety or symptoms of stress, that’s also going to impact your sleep and your cognitive performance, including your memory. Your brain becomes overloaded on those quick and empty posts, and your ability to process and store important information is weakened.
So, what can you do if you think you’re overdoing it with social media? Cut back your usage. Easier said than done? Set alarms or time limits to warn you or cut you off after a certain point. You should also try to cultivate more meaningful hobbies and relationships outside of the social media world.
This doesn’t mean social media is bad. It just means that like many things, it should only be enjoyed in moderation.
