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Pew researchers assert that nearly 75% of the US adult population is using or exposed to social media today. Compare that to just ten years ago when these platforms were almost unheard of.<\/p>\nPew researchers assert that nearly 75% of the US adult population is using or exposed to social media today. Compare that to just ten years ago when these platforms were almost unheard of.<\/p>\n
And that can be good for our health because being connected to people improves health.<\/p>\n
But can the use of this technology that is designed to connect us be causing high blood pressure? According to the new study the answer is an immediate \u201cYES.\u201d <\/p>\n
People use social media for a variety of purposes. Some people only connect with friends and family, some follow news outlets to connect with headlines and current events. People who like the connectivity it brings would sing its praises when explaining the convenience.<\/p>\n
However, there are emerging risk factors that have come from the explosive use of social media- and they aren\u2019t all related to cyber-bullying.<\/p>\n
The Pew researchers recently uncovered trends that have heretofore gone unnoticed in the world of social media.<\/p>\n
Having a constant stream or \u201cNewsfeed\u201d scrolling before your eyes exposes you to not just happy moments, but also terrible news, drama, and other stressors that people wouldn\u2019t normally experience elsewhere.<\/p>\n
News stories and people complaining about interpersonal relationships abound. The constant airing of dirty laundry and stories, especially those with video, of a shocking nature, are contributing to increases in high blood pressure, anxiety attacks, and even bowel disorders.<\/p>\n
The researchers noted that \u201cmirror neurons\u201d in our brains work by mirroring back what we see around us- like a biological empathy trigger. Similarly to how we yawn when we see someone around us yawning, we are called to an emotional reaction when people \u201crant \u201cor post disturbing videos- most of the time we can\u2019t help it.<\/p>\n
Many researchers and specialists recommend that adults should spend less than an hour a day on social media. It can be difficult when your job involves having to be on it (as with marketing or sales), but if you suffer from high blood pressure it is critical to limit time spent exposed to such triggers.<\/p>\n
If you can\u2019t shut off social media completely, you should limit subscriptions and \u201clikes\u201d of negative posts that causes sensory stress.<\/p>\n
This study is just one more bit of proof that high blood pressure is always caused by some kind of stress. In this case, it\u2019s sensory stress. It can also be physical (disease), mental (worrying), or emotional (unhealthy relationship); but there is always some kind of stress.<\/p>\n
Now, we can\u2019t always eliminate the stress factors. But you can get rid of the accumulated stress in your body and mind. That is, lower your overall stress hormone productions and therefore lower blood pressure.<\/p>\n