What are the potential pitfalls of constantly refreshing an HTML page in PHP?

Constantly refreshing an HTML page in PHP can lead to increased server load and decreased performance. This can result in slower response times for users and potential server crashes. To solve this issue, it's better to use client-side technologies like JavaScript to handle page refreshing or use server-side techniques like AJAX to update specific parts of the page without fully refreshing it.

// Example of using AJAX to update a specific part of the page without full refresh
// HTML page
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
    <title>Page Title</title>
    <script src="https://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/3.5.1/jquery.min.js"></script>
</head>
<body>
    <div id="content">
        <!-- Content to be updated -->
    </div>
    <script>
        $(document).ready(function(){
            setInterval(function(){
                $.ajax({
                    url: 'update_content.php',
                    success: function(data){
                        $('#content').html(data);
                    }
                });
            }, 5000); // Refresh every 5 seconds
        });
    </script>
</body>
</html>

// update_content.php
<?php
// Update content here
echo "Updated content";
?>