Researchers use the Internet with comparable withdrawal effects such as drug addiction

People really suffer from withdrawal symptoms through the internet?
At the present time, most people spend a lot of time on the Internet. Researchers now found that frequent Internet use can lead to physiological changes that are quite similar to the effects of drug withdrawal.

The researchers at Milan University and Swansea University found that frequent Internet use can lead to similar physiological changes to drug withdrawal. The experts published the results of their study in the medical journal "PLOS ONE".

Can increased Internet use really lead to health problems comparable to the withdrawal symptoms of drug use? Researchers now tried to get to the bottom of this question. (Image: Focus Pocus LTD / fotolia.com)

Internet use can cause health problems
If some people use the Internet frequently, it can cause health problems. Both heart rate and blood pressure increased in people who are overly often online, researchers say. In addition, some people feel more anxious. Such changes could not be observed in people who did not use the internet, the experts explain.

Internet addiction comparable to physical addiction?
"In other words, it could also be said that Internet addiction is a real physical addiction to some people," explain the doctors. For their study, the scientists studied 144 subjects aged 18 to 33 years. All study participants measured heart rate and blood pressure before and after a short internet session. Her self-reported fears and her Internet addiction were also assessed by the scientists.

There are actually physiological changes
The results of the study showed an increase in physiological agitation when terminating the Internet session in subjects with problematic Internet use. We've known for some time that people dependent on digital devices often report fears when they can not use the Internet, the study's authors explain. But now it is clear that the observed psychological effects are accompanied by actual physiological changes, the experts add.

After internet usage, the heart rate was increased
There was an average increase of three to four percent in heart rate and blood pressure, which occurred immediately at the end of Internet use, explains author Professor Phil Reed. In some cases, the values ​​were even twice as high. While this increase is not enough to be considered life-threatening, it could be associated with anxiety and changes in the hormonal system, which in turn may affect immune responses.

Is it problematic internet use addiction or coercion?
The observed physiological changes and concomitant increase in anxiety can lead to increased use of tranquilizers, drugs and alcohol in those affected. It still needs to be determined if a problematic internet use is really an addiction - with physiological and psychological withdrawal symptoms - or if there are more constraints, explains author Roberto Truzoli from Milan University. However, the results of the current study seem to indicate that Internet use is likely to be a heavy addiction to some people. (As)