Professional guidance
Screen exposure and cognitive load
Daily screen time is a strong proxy for cognitive load because it combines work demands, entertainment, and continuous context switching. Many adults average four to seven hours, but quality matters as much as quantity. Long uninterrupted sessions can raise fatigue and reduce attention control. In the calculator, screen time and notifications carry higher weights because frequent interruptions fragment focus and increase perceived stress across the day.
Social media intensity and mood signals
Time spent on social platforms can be neutral, helpful, or harmful depending on intent and content. Passive scrolling is often associated with comparison cycles and emotional reactivity, while purposeful connection is less disruptive. The scoring uses a steep drop after about two hours because risk indicators rise when usage becomes routine rather than deliberate. Tracking minutes per day helps separate brief check ins from prolonged sessions that displace sleep, movement, and offline contact. Use app timers and curated lists to keep engagement purposeful and time boxed.
Sleep protection and recovery capacity
Sleep is modeled as an optimal window because both short and excessive sleep can reflect reduced recovery. For most adults, seven to nine hours supports emotion regulation, memory consolidation, and lower stress reactivity. Bedtime device use is treated as a separate driver since light exposure and stimulating content delay sleep onset. Reducing late evening use by thirty minutes can improve next day energy and lower the stress rating over time.
Movement, breaks, and nervous system reset
Physical activity and brief screen breaks are practical counterbalances to high digital demand. A daily target of sixty active minutes is used as an upper benchmark, with meaningful benefits beginning around thirty minutes. Micro breaks each hour reduce eye strain and musculoskeletal tension, and they also interrupt doom scrolling patterns. These factors receive moderate weights because they can be improved quickly with reminders, scheduled walks, and workstation adjustments.
Interpreting trends and setting next steps
The score is most useful as a weekly trend rather than a one time judgment. Scores above eighty suggest strong boundaries and consistent recovery habits. Scores between sixty and seventy nine indicate generally healthy patterns with a few pressure points. Scores below sixty often improve by addressing one driver at a time, such as notifications or bedtime use. Recalculate after seven days to confirm whether changes are sustainable and realistic.