Have you ever considered the negative effects of staying indoors?

Okay, realistically, camping may not be your thing. There’s no way that you could be convinced that spending a weekend in a tent is fun. You’d much prefer to stay in the comfort of your home and watch TV.

Still, just because you don’t like roughing it doesn’t mean that you should actively avoid the outdoors. In fact, there are several reasons why staying indoors for extended periods might be detrimental for both mind and body health.

And these days, maintaining both your physical and mental health is very important.

Consider seven negative effects of staying indoors.

1. Sleep Problems Arise

One issue to consider when staying indoors for extended periods of time is that your sleep gets thrown out of whack. Consistently getting a good night’s rest is very important for your health. This is how your body repairs itself and recharges for the next day. Sleep is also a time when your brain processes information from the day. Try to aim between 7-9 hours of sleep.

2. Weight Gain Occurs

Another one of the negative effects of staying indoors is weight gain. There are two simple reasons for this. You are moving less and also “grazing” when you eat. The foods you do eat aren’t as healthy as prepared meals. Because of these factors, you become less physically fit than if you spent more time outside.

3. Vitamin D Stores Decrease

We all know that the sun provides heat to warm the Earth and sunlight to grow food. However, the sun’s rays also provide us with a steady source of vitamin D. So, what are the consequences if you don’t get enough of this important nutrient? Your bones become weaker, which is a problem for older adults. It also makes you more susceptible to chronic diseases such as high blood pressure or diabetes.

4. Sickness Happens More Frequently

Believe it or not, our bodies need to be exposed to germs from time-to-time. Those exposures help to build up immunity and strengthen our immune systems. Staying inside in a controlled environment with lots of cleaning product residue can actually harm our immune systems. Environmental chemicals and a lack of helpful bacteria can be a problem if your goal is to stay healthy.

5. Technology Use Feeds the Negative Effects of Staying Indoors

No surprise here. Certainly, one of the negative effects of staying indoors is that you use technology more. Whether it’s watching TV, scrolling through social media on your phone, or playing games on your computer, you are staring at screens often. This isn’t great for either your mind or body. Looking at a screen all day can create eyestrain long-term. Also, unless you are using a video chat or conference platform, you are likely not interacting with people face-to-face. That isn’t healthy psychologically and doesn’t help improve your relationships.

6. Negative News Cycle Brings You Down

When you are at home, isolated and bored, it’s easy to get drawn into the negative news cycle. That’s not great for your mental wellbeing. Every story can set you more on edge. The media tends to focus on the problems of the world and not the things that are going well. It may be better to switch off your device and read a good book.

7. The Culminating of Factors Fuel Depression

If you consider all of these factors, they can all play a role in depression. You might dismiss that off-hand. Yet, it’s probably hard to notice the effects if you are already struggling with a depressed mindset. Make no mistake about it, staying isolated from others, with all of these other factors, only serves to make you more depressed, not happier or more content.

 

The negative effects of staying indoors shouldn’t be ignored. If you are having trouble with keeping your mind and body healthy, it’s time to switch things up. Even if you are sheltered at home, avoid staying indoors for extended periods of time, and see what happens. However, if things don’t improve, please contact me to learn more about how depression treatment can help.