Physically passive but mentally over-active. That is the state of body when you spend time in front of screens. Not limited to TV, it covers all screen time. Mobile, Tablet, laptop. More vulnerable for kids due to their body and mind in growing state.
When you are in front of virtual world, you not only view, listen or read the content, you also experience rapid emotional changes as per the content. Emotions impact body.
Research Items related to excessive mental activities and Blood clotting.
Risks for blood clot in a vein may rise with increased TV viewing
American Heart Association Meeting Report Poster Presentation S5169 – Session VA.APS.07
https://newsroom.heart.org/news/risks-for-blood-clot-in-a-vein-may-rise-with-increased-tv-viewing?preview=5b5e
Study Highlight:
- Risk of blood clots in the leg veins or lungs was higher in those who reported watching TV “very often” compared with those who reported watching TV “never or seldom.”
“Think about how you can make the best use of your time to live a fuller and healthier life. You could put a treadmill or stationary bike in front of your TV and move while watching. Or you can delay watching TV by 30 minutes while you take a walk. If you must see your favorite show, tape it while you are out walking so you can watch it later, skipping the ads,” said Cushman, who is also the director of the Thrombosis and Hemostasis Program at the University of Vermont Medical Center.
Each year, it is estimated that between 300,000 to 600,000 people in the U.S. develop venous thromboembolism, making it the most common vascular diagnosis after a heart attack or stroke. Although venous thromboembolism is more common in people 60 and older, it can occur at any age.
Besides avoiding prolonged TV watching, you can lower your risk of venous thromboembolism by maintaining a healthy weight and staying physically active.
Excessive daily TV watching may increase risk of death
http://newsroom.heart.org/news/excessive-daily-tv-watching-may-increase-risk-of-death
A lung blood clot, known medically as a pulmonary embolism, usually begins as a clot in the leg or pelvis as a result of inactivity and slowed blood flow. If the clot breaks free, it can travel to a lung and become lodged in a small blood vessel, where it is especially dangerous.
From 1988 to 1990, Japanese researchers asked 86,024 participants, age 40-79, how many hours they spent watching TV. Over the next 19 years, 59 participants died of a pulmonary embolism.
Researchers found that compared to participants who watched TV less than 2.5 hours each day, deaths from a pulmonary embolism increased by:
- 70 percent among those who watched TV from 2.5 to 4.9 hours
- 40 percent for each additional 2 hours of daily TV watching; and
- 2.5 times among those who watched TV 5 or more hours.
“Pulmonary embolism occurs at a lower rate in Japan than it does in Western countries, but it may be on the rise,” said Hiroyasu Iso, M.D., Ph.D., professor of public health at Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine and study corresponding author. “The Japanese people are increasingly adopting sedentary lifestyles, which we believe is putting them at increased risk.”
Anxiety Can Increase Blood Clotting and Heart Disease
https://www.uni-bonn.de/en/News/110_2008.html
People with anxiety disorders have a higher risk of developing and dying of heart disease. Scientists at the Clinic and Policlinic for Psychotherapy and the Institute of Experimental Hematology and Transfusion Medicine may have discovered why this might be true.
Lead scientists, Franziska Geiser and Ursula Harbrecht studied the effects of anxiety on blood coagulation (thickening of the blood or clotting).
For those suffering from panic disorder or anxiety attacks, utter fear are all too well known. Some of the common symptoms of an anxiety attack include heart palpitations, sweating, and tremors. Although physical symptoms such as these are common in panic or anxiety attacks, the symptoms normally disappear once the anxiety attack is over. But does the fear actually cause physical symptoms which can be dangerous?
Our bodies have two distinct functions relating to blood clotting. The first, coagulation, thickens the blood to help form a plug over injuries to reduce the loss of blood. The second is fibrinolysis, which helps to break down clots to keep the blood fluid and moving through the body.
The research study found fibrinolysis to slow down and coagulation to increase during periods of high anxiety. In severe cases, this could cause blockage in the arteries leading to the heart. According to Franziska, this could explain why people with anxiety have a higher incidence rate of heart disease.
Psychological Impact of Having a Blood Clot
http://patientblog.clotconnect.org/2012/02/28/psychological-impact-of-having-a-blood-clot/
