Initially, it seems like social media can help keep us stay in touch with our family members and friends and keep in tune with the society. However, spending too much time and energy on social media can actually be detrimental to our physical and mental health, according to experts.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with using social media from time to time. However, it’s an entirely different story if most of your waking hours are spent on social media, getting in the way of your studies, work and offline life.

It’s no secret that too much of something is bad, and the same can be said for social media. If you cannot think of any other thing than social media, then it’s very much likely that you are hooked and your health may now be taking a turn for the worse because of its various negative effects.

Here are just a few of the most unfavorable effects of too much social media to your health:

Stress

Too much social media can leave you feeling stressed in a variety of ways. For instance, it can take up much of your precious time, keeping you from doing your duties and responsibilities at home and in the workplace. Such can lead to so much catching up to do and explanations to make, all of which can easily cause unnecessary stress.

If you feel that using social media is an effective stress-buster just like brisk walking or having a massage, better think again. It’s a vicious cycle that can leave you more and more stressed each time.

Depression

A lot of people believe that what they see on social media is real life, and many of them fail to keep in mind the old adage “not all that glitters is gold”.

Ending up depressed can be very easy for someone who thinks that everyone on social media is living a glamorous life that’s free of any worries such as running out of clothes to wear, friends to have coffee with and tourist attractions to visit. Always remember that popular individuals on social media keep us from seeing the whole picture.

Anxiety

There are so many things about social media that can leave us feeling anxious. For instance, it can be a source of great misunderstandings between family and friends. Are you a competitive social media user? Then the need to gain more likes and followers than someone else can definitely cause a lot of anxiety.

Social media is also the number one source of anything that’s blown out of proportion for the sake of attention, and it’s something that can perpetuate anxiety, too.

Insomnia

All of the things mentioned so far can keep you from having a good night’s sleep. You can’t help but stay wide away through the night as your mind is filled with all the things that you see on social media.

Scientists say that the use electronic devices at bedtime, whether for checking out social media posts or something else, can also cause insomnia. That’s because the blue light that smartphones, tablets and laptops give off can have a disrupting effect on the body clock, and this can easily leave any social media addict an insomniac.

Obesity

It’s no secret that obesity is not just a problem concerning the figure and self-esteem, but also the overall health. Experts say that it is something that can increase risk of heart disease, cancer, arthritis, osteoporosis, diabetes and so many other really scary health issues.

Using social media a lot leaves you with no time to exercise. What’s more, all the unfavorable emotions you get from everything you see online can leave you stress eating.

There are so many other negative effects of social media on the health. Can you think of a few more? Feel free to share some of them in the comments section below!