How chronic inflammation can pair with screen time
Most of us know that too much social media can drain our attention, elevate stress, or impact our mood. However, few people realize that excessive scrolling may also lead to chronic inflammation.
This is a topic that deserves far more awareness than it currently gets and is quite personal to me. A University of Buffalo study using real phone-use data found that higher social media time predicted higher levels of CRP — a key inflammation marker.
And here’s what they found:
- Participants who spent more time on social media had higher CRP levels five weeks later.
- The effect remained significant even when accounting for mood, stress, and subjective reporting patterns.
Why this hit home for me
For years, I struggled with chronic inflammation in my whole body. It affected my energy, my presence, and my ability to fully show up for the people who mattered most to me.
And while I eventually made meaningful changes — shifting to an anti-inflammatory diet, exercising regularly, meditating, and building healthier routines — it wasn’t until recently that I understood how screen time, especially social media, played a role.
I realized something simple but profound:
If I want to live my purpose — to be the best version of myself every day for my family, my clients, and my community — then I need to protect my mind and body from every source of unnecessary stress.
When my screen time was high, my body felt more tense, my sleep quality dropped and my focus was more scattered. As a result, I was less present with my family, my community and my clients. Now that my screen time is mindful and intentional, the opposite happens. I feel more grounded, more connected, and more aligned to my purpose.
Why social media may contribute to inflammation
Researchers point to the following key reasons:
- Stress activation
Social media activates the body’s stress response through comparisons, emotional triggers and dopamine spikes. When stress becomes constant, our body’s stress hormones stay elevated. That wears down the immune system and increases inflammation – affecting both mental and physical health.
- Sedentary Behavior
Endless scrolling takes the place of movement — and movement is one of our body’s strongest tools to calm inflammation.
- Sleep Disruption
Nighttime screen time disrupts melatonin, disrupts sleep, and ultimately increases inflammation — a cycle many of us don’t even realize we’re stuck in.
- Emotional Overload
When we’re always taking in new information, our nervous system never gets a break. It stays slightly revved up, as if danger is always around the corner.
Practical steps that make a real difference
It isn’t about quitting social media. It’s about making it work for you, not against you.
Here are simple practices that have made a noticeable difference in my own life:
- Setting intentional boundaries
Leaving my phone away from my workspace, fixed times for social media during the day, no scrolling before bed and during meals, and a morning meditation/breathing routine before looking at my phone. - Replacing social media with more meaningful activities
When I feel the urge to scroll, I choose breathwork, a short stretch, a quick walk (even if it’s darn cold!), or checking in with my family or friends. - Tracking my screen time
Awareness changes behavior — seeing the actual number forces an honest conversation with oneself. - Curating my digital environment
I now follow only social media accounts that uplift me and unfollow all those that trigger stress, comparisons, or outrage. - Protecting my evenings and nights
I leave my phone in a different part of the room during the evening when I am not using it. At night I leave my primary phone in a different room altogether. I read before going to bed and use an old phone that only has Spotify on it so I can listen to meditation.
Choosing presence in a world of noise
At the end of the day, my goal isn’t just to feel better physically. It’s to remain aligned with my purpose. Technology can amplify our lives, but only when it supports—not distracts us from—our well-being and the purpose we want to live by.
If you’ve struggled with chronic inflammation, chronic pain, burnout, or stress, I hope this article offers a helpful perspective. Managing inflammation isn’t just about diet or exercise — it is also about managing the inputs your mind receives daily.
And sometimes, the most healing thing you can do is simple – set your phone aside and reconnect with the present.
References
- Social Media Use and Its Concurrent and Subsequent Relation to a Biological Marker of Inflammation, Journal of Medical Internet Research, 08 December 2023.
Post by Shehzad Qureshi. Shehzah runs a coaching practices focused on ADHD.
