From neck problems to hearing loss: How technology might affect your health

ARE modern gadgets harming our health? Our writer investigates.

 

The average adult clocks up a whopping eight hours 41 minutes engaged in some form of media

 

Hands up if you own a smartphone? Laptop? Tablet? You might even have all three and the chances are, you spend even more time on them than you spend sleeping.

A recent Ofcom study found that the average adult clocks up a whopping eight hours 41 minutes engaged in some form of media or digital communication, compared to an average of eight hours 21 minutes sleeping in a 24 hour period. That means we spend more than half of our waking hours staring at a device of some kind.

But, apart from taking over your life, how might your technology be affecting your health? 

Tech neck

According to the British Chiropractic Association, smartphones are responsible for the rise in the number of young people with back and neck problems, as the amount of time spent leaning over small phone screens can put spinal discs under pressure.

Thanks to our technological lifestyle, 45 per cent of 16 to 24 year olds suffer from back pain – a 60 per cent rise from last year. “Bending your head over your tablet, laptop or smartphone strains the muscles in the neck,” explains Tim Hutchfulof the British Chiropractic Association (chiropractic-uk.co.uk). Do this for hours on end and your body will eventually start to adopt this hunched position.

“The average human head weighs about 12lbs but, for every single inch that your head is angled forward, another 10lbs is added. So, if you continually bend your head three inches that adds an alarming 42lbs in weight to the neck.”

Fix it: “Be conscious of keeping the body in a neutral position at all times,” advises Tim. “That means keeping your ears at an equal distance from your shoulders and your chin neither up nor down.” Position your tablet or laptop screen approximately one arm’s length away. Too far away and you may lean forward too much, causing unnecessary tension to the neck muscles. 

To allow you to sit straight while focusing on the screen, make sure that the top of the screen is at eye level.

Sleep deprivation

Sleeping with your phone near you causes hyper-vigilance – feeling alert, tense and on guard: “Subconsciously, you’re expecting a call or text and this means your sleep will be lighter,” explains sleep expert Dr Neil Stanley. The second problem is the light it emits.

The bright screen of your computer is fine during daylight hours but becomes unhealthy when bedtime is approaching because it interferes with the body’s natural rhythm, suppressing the production of the sleepy hormone melatonin and fooling your body into thinking you need to stay up.

Fix it: Try F.lux, a free app that makes the colour of your computer screen resemble the current time of day, helping your body recognise that bedtime is drawing near. And try to switch off all devices an hour before bed to allow a good wind-down routine. When you do turn in, avoid all light including night lights: they emit normal white light, which contains all the colours of the spectrum, including energising blue that makes it harder to get back to sleep.

And if you do wake in the night, never look at electronic devices like phones or tablets. Try using a good-quality sleep mask to help your brain to produce melatonin, helping you fall asleep.

 

Apart from taking over your life, technology might affect your health

 

BlackBerry thumb

An estimated four million Brits suffer from texting tendonitis or repetitive- strain injuries brought about by repeated texting and scrolling down their handsets, according to Virgin Mobile. It’s hardly surprising when you observe the unnatural claw-like position that involves typing with your thumb while holding your phone with the same hand.

Fix it: Try “hand yoga” before and after text messaging, suggests Tim Hutchful. Bend your arm 90 degrees. Make a fist and tense it, along with the whole of your arm. Hold for a few seconds then relax and let the arm flop to your side. Repeat three times.

Now stretch the wrist backwards and forwards, holding each position for a few seconds. Repeat three times. Finally, spread your fingers wide apart, hold for a few seconds, then bunch into a fist and hold. Repeat three times.

  

Gaming and online shopping mean that you’re probably moving about less

 

Tunes tinnitus

Unfortunately, most hearing loss or tinnitus caused by noise exposure is permanent. Listening to any sound at a high volume – more than 89 decibels or dB(A) – for more than five hours a week can damage hearing permanently over time, says Action on Hearing Loss. Listening to music at a loud volume is a common risk factor – yet research has found that 39 per cent of 18 to 24 year olds listen to their favourite tunes at a dangerously loud volume.

Fix it: Use the 60:60 rule: listen to your music at 60 per cent of the MP3 player’s maximum volume for no more than 60 minutes a day (if your device has a “smart volume” feature, use it to help you regulate the volume). “And invest in noise-cancelling headphones,” advises Gemma Twitchen, senior audiologist at Action on Hearing Loss (action onhearing.loss.org.uk).

“These headphones mean that you don’t need to increase the volume to override annoying background noise. And newer models of music players made in the EU will tell you the maximum level you can listen to before damage arises.”

E-mentia

Our ability to read a map and even remember phone numbers faces extinction due to our reliance on modern technology, according to a study by national map maker Ordnance Survey. But when researchers scanned the brains of older adults who used GPS and compared the results with those who read maps, the latter showed higher activity and a greater volume of grey matter in the hippocampus (the part of the brain associated with memory) than those relying on GPS.

The map readers also did better on a test used in the diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment, which often precedes Alzheimer’s. And it’s not just sat navs that can dull the mind. Overreliance on computer aids of all kinds may rob our brains of the stimulation they need to stay healthy. Research suggests that people who don’t regularly challenge themselves intellectually through work or learning are more likely to suffer from dementia in later life.

Fix it: Don’t allow old skills such as map reading to die out because technology isn’t invincible, warns a spokesperson at Ordnance Survey. “Basic map-reading skills are vital as, sometimes, batteries and phone signals let you down.” Try using GPS to help you find new destinations, then disabling the gadget on return journeys or when going somewhere that isn’t new. And keep a written back-up list of essential numbers for when phones get lost, stolen and damaged.

 

Laptop laziness

While fitness trackers and running apps can encourage exercise, the chances are that modern technology is only contributing to your sedentary lifestyle. Gaming, online shopping and mindless eating in front of laptops and tablets mean that you’re probably moving about less. And, according to a recent study by Cambridge University, physical inactivity causes twice as many deaths as obesity.

Researchers calculated that while 337,000 of the 9.2 million deaths in Europe per year could be associated with obesity, 676,000 were attributable to inactivity.

Fix it: Simply taking a 20-minute brisk daily walk can reduce our risk of early death, say the researchers. In an analysis of several years of health data from more than 334,000 Europeans, the researchers estimated that the risk of early death could be reduced by between 16 and 30 per cent by doing a small amount of moderate exercise daily.

Screen strain

We spend nearly 50 hours a week looking at computer screens, according to research conducted by the College of Optometrists. But prolonged use can result in what has been dubbed “computer vision syndrome”, with symptoms including eye strain, double vision and temporary short-sightedness.

Fix it: It’s crucial to take regular screen breaks and if you need glasses, wear them! Remember to blink regularly (when focusing on a screen your reflexes will slow down, you blink less and tear production is reduced causing dry and uncomfortable eyes) and adopt the 20-20-20 rule: every 20 minutes, look 20 feet away (six metres) for 20 seconds to give your eye muscles a break and help increase the rate of blinking.