Simple habits to reduce screen time health damage

WatchWell is a pilot study testing three simple evening habits that might protect your heart health if you spend a lot of time watching screens at night. Researchers believe that evening screen time, eating late at night, and sitting for long periods may increase your risk of heart disease and diabetes—and this study is testing whether small habit changes like wearing blue light blocking glasses, stopping eating by 8pm, or taking brief standing breaks each hour can help.

Spending hours watching screens in the evening has become very common, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic. Research shows that evening screen time may be especially harmful to your heart and metabolism compared to other types of sitting, but we don't fully understand why or what works best to prevent the damage. This study will test practical, easy-to-do strategies that might protect your health.