Technology and Cortisol Levels: What You Need to Know

Raise your hand if you spend more than four hours on your phone.

You’re not the only one. 

According to Statista, an estimated 22% of Americans spend four or more hours on digital devices. People who use digital devices for work might spend over 7-8 hours staring at screens. The relationship between technology and cortisol levels can be harmful to your health.

Preliminary research indicates that our dependence on digital devices impacts stress hormones (like cortisol).

How does excessive screen time increase cortisol levels?

Emotional stressors cause our bodies to release stress hormones like cortisol. Doom scrolling, cyberbullying, and stress-inducing messages can trigger negative responses. These can lead to an unhealthy spike in cortisol levels.

Digital detox and mindfulness can counter the consequence.

This article offers insights into the relationship between technology and cortisol.

Understanding The Basics: What Is Cortisol?

Your adrenal glands secrete cortisol (a stress hormone) whenever the brain detects a threat. It helps the body prepare for a flight-or-fight response when faced with an immediate danger. Cortisol levels return to normal when the problem resolves.

 Aside from handling stressful situations, Verywell Mind highlights the other bodily functions of cortisol.

The hormone helps:

●     Regulate blood pressure

●     Promote healthy blood sugar levels with the assistance of insulin

●     Activate immune response against bacteria, viruses, or other illness-inducing threats

●     Support natural anti-inflammatory response

In short, its presence triggers a series of reactions and physiological changes.  These cause the body to activate its survival mode.  You might feel it with the way your heartbeat increases and your pupils dilate when you’re stressed. 

While stress hormones help our body become alert and active, there are consequences. Excessive secretion can have adverse effects on our bodies. Stress management techniques ensure that this doesn’t happen.

Unfortunately, frequent use of technology rewires the brain. You’re left in a constant state of worry due to it.

The Problem: How Does Tech Increase Your Cortisol Levels?

Our digital dependence and unhealthy habits make us vulnerable to stress. Cortisol levels increase because of the tech-induced threats experienced throughout the day. These include harsh comments on social media posts, doom scrolling, and perplexing phone calls/messages.

Technology has become an essential part of our lives in recent times. You don’t use smartphones for communication anymore. You use it to check your social media feed, read or watch the news, respond to work emails, etc.

These interactions lead to emotional stressors.

For instance:

●     News about school shootings, climate change, and the global economic crisis can leave you overwhelmed

●     Critical comments and trolls on your social media feed result in depressive thoughts

●     The obligatory need to stay online 24/7 to ensure you don’t miss important phone calls or messages can add to the stress of going online

Aside from this, one subconsciously starts comparing their lives to what their peers do. You may also feel like your friends are ignoring you or that you are no longer a priority. For instance, you might notice your friend posting on social media while the message you sent them a day before remains unread. People with anxiety and depression build up scenarios to explain this behavior.

More often than not, you conclude that you are not worthy of love.

This is one of many side-effects of technology. We are ironically becoming more distant from real relationships through this indulgence. Studies from Internet Advisor show how impactful our smartphone usage really is.

Do High Cortisol Levels Impact Sleep?

Your sleep pattern changes when you unwind with mindless scrolling every night. Chances are you’re spending more time on your phone than resting well.  A muddled mind creates stressful situations. 

You might have trouble concentrating in school (or at work) due to limited sleep.  Alternatively, you may feel overwhelmed and agitated due to a lack of sleep. This may result in conflicts with peers.

The brain perceives these situations as imminent threats. Therefore, the body begins to secrete an unhealthy amount of cortisol. 

The Aftermath: What Happens When Cortisol Levels Increase? 

High cortisol levels can have a debilitating impact on your body. Excessive secretion can result in obesity, moodiness, high blood pressure, and mental health issues. That’s because our brain and body feel overstimulated by the extra stress hormones.

Healthline elaborates on the situation by listing the drastic side effects of unhealthy cortisol levels.

Common problems include:

●     Weight gain caused by binge eating or unhealthy habits in general

●     Mood imbalance that causes you to feel irritable, sad, and sensitive

●     High blood pressure with an underlying threat to your heart

●     Irregular blood sugar levels

●     Brain fog and decrease in focus

●     Memory lapses

●     Trouble in healing wounds naturally due to reduced anti-inflammatory levels

●     Impaired immune system that makes you vulnerable to mental and physical health issues

In other words, your body refuses to function correctly until cortisol levels subside. By then, your mind and body have begun working in overdrive. Stress management through digital detox can prevent things from escalating.

Rewired: How to Do a Digital Detox in an Always-On World?

The benefits of digital detox are undeniable.

Yet, you may experience obstacles when you decide to stay offline for hours. You should take cautious steps that don’t require a complete detox. Like indulging in hands-on hobbies that take you away from screens and limiting hours spent on screen.

Digital detox isn’t easy when a pivotal part of your life revolves around screens. That’s why we created a step-by-step guide that includes some tried and tested techniques.

Here’s what you can do:

Step One: Use a Checklist to Streamline Your Online Activities 

Do you spend hours mindlessly shuffling through different mobile apps?

Most of the time, you’re stuck in an endless loop of social media scrolling. Our brains have become habitual of filling free time with tech.  Primarily because it induces a burst of happy hormones (dopamine). An article from Harvard discusses this in greater detail by highlighting the reason for social media addiction.

However, once the excitement wears off, you’re left feeling stressed. That’s because internet interactions don’t necessarily have positive effects.

You can prevent this spiral by choosing your screen time wisely. Start by deleting apps and unfollowing social media accounts that don’t add value to your life.

This mini-checklist can help you make an informed decision:

1.    What is the purpose of this app/social media account?

2.    Do you receive informative messages from this app/social media account?

3.    Does using this app bring you joy or add to your stress?

4.    How many hours do you spend on this online platform?

5.    Does this app/social media account share informative messages?

These questions allow you to reflect upon the pros and cons of using specific smartphone apps.  If the disadvantages outweigh the benefits, you can cancel, delete, and block accounts without feeling guilty.

Step Two: Create a Proper Schedule for Using Digital Devices

Having a cleaner smartphone with more purposeful platforms and informative resources isn’t necessarily good for you. These apps demand equal attention and can compel you to stay online for hours as much as their less useful counterparts.

Therefore, you must utilize your time well by developing a mindful schedule.

For example:

●     Limit social media usage.

Only spend an hour on social media per day. Divide this time into 10-15 minutes throughout the day to curb your curiosity and tech withdrawals.

●     Go offline an hour before bedtime. 

The Sleep Foundation states that the blue light radiating from phones can keep you awake at night. It prevents your brain from activating its natural sleep mode. Plus, if you read anything worrisome before heading to bed then you'll most likely think about it all night.

●     Mute notifications to limit distractions at work/home.

Maintain a healthier work/life balance by creating boundaries. Avoid bringing work-related stress home. Mute email notifications and log out from office-related apps and vice versa.

At work, you can put personal chats on the archive to prevent them from adding to your list of things to do. That way, toxic friendships, complicated family relationships, and reminders from home will not affect your work performance.

You can set limits according to your business hours if you're working from home. Using separate smartphones or accounts for work and recreation are other ways to divide your time wisely.

Step Three: Substitute Mindless Scrolling with Mindful Activities

Once you stop wasting time on your smartphone, you’ll have room for healthier, brain-boosting activities. You can spend your mornings in meditation instead of checking emails. Evenings can include quality time with loved ones instead of fixating on the life of an influencer.

Here are some other alternatives to your tech habits:

●     Do you enjoy brain teasers and word games like Wordle? Invest in books with word search, crossword puzzles, Sudoku, and other activities.

●     Do you have game apps on your smartphone? Swap them with board games that you can play with friends and family.

●     Feeling lonely? Schedule a meet-up or sign up for group activities to replace restrictive online interactions.

Apart from this, you can start gardening, learn to knit, play a musical instrument, cook and bake or paint during your spare time.

Research proves that leisure activities qualify as stress management techniques.  It’s why digital detox and emphasis on recreational hobbies regulate cortisol levels.

Parting Words: Maintaining Healthy Tech Boundaries

Breaking up the toxic relationship between technology and cortisol requires commitment. It’s easy to get swayed by social media and continuous notifications. A significant chunk of your work day also revolves around digital devices. It’s how the world stays connected, after all.

Nevertheless, you can make an effort to reduce screen time during your free time. Avoid scrolling through social media for long hours. Block apps and social media accounts that leave you in perpetual worry. Use your digital devices for a purpose instead of picking them up whenever you’re bored.

Additionally, regulate cortisol levels by practicing mindfulness and adopting healthy habits. Eating well, physical activities, and spending quality time with loved ones can be beneficial. Eventually, technology will stop triggering your stress hormones that frequently.

In turn, you are supporting your interest in living life at the moment.