Many entrepreneurs build their business from a laptop without realizing that long work sessions and excessive screen time can be harmful. While a strong drive to get things done is good, many entrepreneurs are focused on getting results to the detriment of their health.
If that sounds familiar, this article will explain how working from a laptop can be harmful.
Your Eyes Take a Big Hit
Running a business from a laptop impacts your nervous system more than you think. It’s not uncommon for entrepreneurs to spend between eight and 14 hours staring at a screen, switching tabs, responding to emails, editing documents, and consuming endless amounts of information. The result is an overstimulated nervous system that can’t wind down. Working on a laptop or phone also requires sustained near-distance focus, which can cause digital eye strain.
If you’ve started noticing your vision getting worse, it’s worth considering corrective procedures like LASIK eye surgery. Many entrepreneurs reach a point where it becomes cumbersome to manage glasses, dry eyes, and new prescriptions. Having your vision surgically corrected can make your workdays more comfortable and productive, especially if you travel or use multiple devices.
Your Brain isn’t Designed for Constant Switching
Even though businesses are rewarded for fast responses, the way most entrepreneurs handle notifications works against them. If you’re chasing every notification as it arrives or constantly refreshing your email inbox, you’re creating fatigue. Your brain isn’t designed to constantly switch between tasks. Rapid task switching burns energy fast and leads to lost focus and exhaustion.
Too Much Blue Light Exposure is Harmful
If you’re like most entrepreneurs, you probably work late into the night or early morning because there’s always something to get done. The problem is that exposure to artificial blue light suppresses melatonin production and alters your circadian rhythm enough to disrupt your sleep cycles. Blue light glasses or a screen filter will help, especially if you can’t take long breaks from staring at your screen. Some operating systems have built-in settings to reduce blue light directly.
Chronic Stress Rewires How You Perform
You’ve probably seen entrepreneurs celebrate their ability to push through stress like it’s a competition. That’s not something to brag about. Chronic stress can alter cognitive function, emotional regulation, hormone balance, digestion, and long-term health outcomes. Pushing through temporarily is okay, but sustained overload will eventually negatively impact your business decisions.
When your body is in a state of chronic stress, it’s being flooded with high cortisol. This works out well for short bursts of pressure but is detrimental when prolonged. Entrepreneurs under chronic stress often become reactive, impatient, and cognitively scattered. It’s harder to think strategically when your brain is trying to manage immediate threats.
Sleep Deprivation Makes Everything Harder
Not getting enough sleep or not sleeping deeply can cause sleep deprivation. When you’re sleep deprived, your attention span is shorter, you lack emotional control, and your creativity suffers. You might not even notice you’re declining because sleep deprivation can diminish self-awareness regarding your performance.
While it’s recommended to get at least seven hours of sleep each night, you might need less or more. The key isn’t sleeping for a set number of hours, but rather, getting deep, restful sleep and waking up feeling refreshed. If you’re waking up groggy, you’re probably not spending enough time in REM sleep. A simple way to fix this is to stop using screens and work apps at least an hour before bed, so your brain can transition into sleep more naturally.
Sitting All Day for Years Can Change Your Body
Building a business online usually requires sitting down for most of the day. However, a sedentary lifestyle can negatively affect your circulation and metabolism. You might feel mentally productive while your body physically deteriorates.
Working on a laptop all day can also create forward head posture, compress your shoulders, and cause lower back pain. It can take a while for this to become painful, but when it does, it will affect your sleep and mood.
To combat the effects of sitting, move your body as much as possible. When you exercise, you send blood flow to the brain, and that can improve your memory and focus. Even taking short walks throughout the day can reduce brain fog. In fact, many entrepreneurs say their best ideas have come to them while they were moving and not staring at their analytics dashboard.
Your Health Directly Impacts Your Business
It’s easy to obsess over software and digital systems while ignoring your own biological system that does all the work. However, spending long hours at your laptop can disrupt your health and make it hard to sleep. Treating your body like a business asset means protecting your health so you’re fully capable of running your business.
