In
the tech heavy, electronic fuelled world we live in electronic
screens play a significant role in everyday life for most people.
Whether for work or play electronic screens have become vital in our
day to day life. Smartphones, tablets and laptops are devices that
become integrated into our way of life.
They
are a gateway to the world wide web, allowing us to have a wealth of
information at our disposal at the touch of a button. They allow us
to step out from the office and work on the go. They help us keep a
finger on the pulse of news around the globe. They allow us to shop
for anything and everything from the comfort of our own home. They
enable us to share and connect with others as we engage and interact
on social media.
Whilst
there are an array of benefits to be had from electronic devices such
as smartphones and tablets, there are downsides too.
Neck
and back pain
It
is well known sitting at a desktop or laptop for long periods of time
can cause physical problems. Unfortunately the position of sitting at
a desktop computer for hours at a time is not good for posture and
puts a strain on the body, affecting the neck and back. As such
chronic neck and/or back pain is common for people who work in
offices where they spend the majority of their work day sat at a
computer.
Whilst
people acknowledge that sitting at a computer for hours and hours
causes neck and back pain, with vast research and design being
dedicated to creating ergonomic work environments and office
furniture, it is overlooked that staring down at a smartphone or
tablet as you tap away also causes neck and back problems. The
position of your body as you gaze at the screen in your hands causes
stress on your muscles and tendons, causing a stiff sore neck which
if repeated daily will over time cause long term pain.
Stress
With
devices on hand such as smartphones that allow us to be connected to
the world 24 hours a day we can be the victims of being ‘always
on’. As a nation we are becoming increasingly accustomed to being
contactable everywhere we go and always able to get online for work
or play. There are benefits to this way of life but being ‘always
on’ can also cause stress.
Never
being able to switch off from work or being addicted to your
smartphone, social media savvy life can take a toll on people
mentally. Taking a break from your smartphone can be beneficial to
your health and well-being. Every once in awhile step away from your
smartphone and ignore the pings of notifications.
Repetitive
stress
Thanks
to making repetitive movements when using smartphones and tablets we
can be subject to repetitive stress injuries. The repeated use of
smartphones can cause joint, muscle, tendon and nerve pressure and
damage, causing conditions such as carpal tunnel syndrome. Think
about how we hold our smartphones in a static position as we tap away
with a finger or two - our lifestyle of excessive texting can cause
inflamed tendons and degeneration of joints.
Eye
issues
Using
a smartphone, tablet or similar electronic screen device can also
cause repetitive stress to the eyes causing eye pain and headaches.
In
addition the blue light from smartphones and tablets is reported to
negatively affect eye health. Scientific studies have found that too
much exposure to blue light or high-energy visible (HEV) light
emitted from smartphones, tablets and laptops can damage the light
sensitive cells in the retina.
To
protect eye health from HEV light the use of a blue light filter for electronic screens can be very beneficial and practical as it reduces blue light
exposure. Not only is it helpful in protecting eye health but as blue
light exposure can also negatively affect sleep and according to some
experts damage skin health using a blue light filter can be
beneficial to overall health and wellbeing.
Have
you suffered any adverse health effects from using electronic screen
devices such as smartphones and tablets?
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