Most of us grew up in a time when anecdotal evidence was enough to show whether a myth was right or wrong, we didn’t need quantitative research or scientific studies to determine whether something was true or false. Nowadays this has changed radically and almost everything can be proven, so in this article we are going to dismantle many of the myths that exist around PC monitors and the supposed health risks they have .
In the past people were very credulous, and it was enough for your brother-in-law to tell you that something was in a certain way for you to believe it. Today things are different, most people are skeptical and need verified and truthful information to believe things. Still, myths, rumors and urban legends about almost everything continue to abound, so today we are going to see some “truths” and some “fables” about PC monitors : which of them are a reality?
The light from the screens reduces the quality of sleep
In general, artificial light does affect the quality and duration of sleep, and since digital screens emit artificial light, we can say then that it does impact the quality of sleep. But many other objects also produce that artificial light, such as light bulbs, streetlights, television, etc … so what is the difference?
The natural sleep / wake cycle of the human body is known as the circadian rhythm , and it is affected by bright artificial light, especially light that is in the blue and white part of the spectrum . Warmer shades of light, such as yellow and orange, also have an effect on sleep quality, but definitely less than blues and whites. For this reason, warm lights are recommended in the home, and cold lights in a workplace – to keep us more awake.
The use of bright screens, especially in low ambient light environments, disrupts the circadian rhythm by making the brain believe that it is still daylight, stopping the release of melatonin (the hormone that makes you sleepy and prepares you for the night). For this reason, many screens have filters such as Low Blue Light, or applications have “night mode” or Apple’s well-known Night Shift, to reduce this effect.
Verdict: true.
Monitors can cause cancer
This is a perfect example where causality does not equal correlation. In recent years, several empirical studies have used flawed methodologies and bad science to try to prove a link between the use of screens and health-threatening diseases such as cancer.
To be clear, these studies found a supposed correlation between people who spend more time in front of a screen and cancer cases, but the studies also ignore other factors such as the fact that today there are many more people with cancer than in the past for the simple fact that we have better methods to detect it .
At the same time, people are spending more and more time in front of screens, yet life expectancy is increasing. By simple statistics, the longer you live, the more likely you are to suffer from cancer among other things. On the other hand, the human being is now more sedentary than ever, we eat processed foods and a long list of examples of other possible causes that can also promote cancer .
The fact is that there are absolutely no empirical studies that can show that being in front of PC screens or monitors for a long time causes cancer. Not even a single one.
Verdict: false.
Screens cause diabetes and depression
As with the previous example, this is yet another attempt to try to find a single cause for the problems caused by changes in people’s lifestyles that have been going on for several decades, and there is no serious scientific study that relate one thing to the other.
People who spend a significant amount of time in front of PC monitors have higher cases of illnesses such as diabetes, obesity and depression, and yet screens are not the cause, but a combination of their sedentary lifestyle and A bad diet. If you spend a lot of time sitting and do not exercise, you are likely to gain weight and have health problems, and people with health problems are more likely to suffer from depression or diabetes. This is a fact.
Verdict: false.
PC monitors damage your eyesight
Most ophthalmologists agree that spending too much time looking at a screen is “not good” for your eyesight, but depending on who you ask you will get different answers regarding how much damage it causes, or how damaging it is.
The biggest fear they have is that screens cause macular degeneration, which is one of the leading causes of blindness. However, there is no convincing evidence that these long-term damages are real and, anyway, more and more PC monitors have technologies so that the visual health of the individual is not damaged.
Verdict: true… half.
Sitting too close to the screen hurts your eyesight
Many think that this is a myth merely because of the proliferation of anecdotal evidence, bad science and old wives’ tales, but it turns out that in this case there are indications of truth: in 1967 it was discovered that color televisions emitted between 10 and 100.0900 times the amount of radiation considered safe. To combat this, it was suggested that we sit further away from the TV to minimize the impact.
But this problem no longer exists, since televisions, screens and of course PC monitors no longer emit radiation, that was in CRT monitors, so that is not a problem now. Of course, if you look too closely at a screen you will have to strain your eyes and that, of course, will end up causing at least a headache, shoulders and neck.
In other words, it does not matter if you sit near or far from the monitor as long as the distance is optimal so that you can see well and without straining your eyes or neck, neither more nor less.
Verdict: false.
Darkness causes vision problems
We have all received the “advice” that using the PC in a dimly lit room is bad for the eyes, but there really is no scientific basis for this. It began as always, with an old woman’s tale and that is where it should stay, but unfortunately this unfounded myth continues to circulate in the Internet lies.
However, in fairness, if you look at a bright screen in a dark room it will have an impact on the visual fatigue of your eyes, but it has no impact on vision. In fact, doing this causes us to blink less, and with it the eyes become dry, and the dryness causes irritation and pain. But what vision is, there is nothing to show that it is impaired at all.
