NOCTURNAL SCREEN EXPOSURE (DUE TO NIDRA VEGADHARANA) AND ITS GRADUAL IMPACT ON VISION, COGNITIVE FOCUS, AND MENTAL HEALTH

Abstract

Nocturnal exposure to light-emitting diode (LED) screens has emerged as a pervasive environmental hazard in modern society. This review synthesizes the pathophysiological mechanisms of nocturnal screen-induced damage across three major domains: ocular physiology, cognitive focus, and mental health. We analyze these issues through a dual framework: Western biomedical science and traditional Ayurvedic medicine. Biomedicine attributes these systemic disruptions to high-energy visible (HEV) blue light retinal phototoxicity and the suppression of pineal melatonin via intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs). Ayurveda conceptualizes this phenomenon as an artificial extension of daytime sensory intake leading to severe disruptions in the body's natural bio-elements: Alocaka Pitta (ocular metabolic fire), Prana Vayu (neurological governance), and Tarpaka Kapha (cerebrospinal nourishment). This paper provides an evidence-based integrative understanding of Digital Exhaustion and introduces comprehensive lifestyle and preventive modifications rooted in Ayurvedic Ratricharya (night regimen) and Dinacharya (daily regimen), with a particular emphasis on the physiological impact of suppressing the natural urge to sleep.