How technology might affect your health ? 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 4. 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. ![]() From neck problems to hearing loss: How technology might affect your health ARE modern gadgets harming our health? Our writer investigates. Handheld and mobile products including smart phones, mobile phones, radios, remotes and other gadgets are becoming increasingly complex yet are being subjected to. Online Shopping High-Tech Gadgets- Buy Cool Gadgets, Spy, Gaming, New Corporate Gifts, Security Gadgets & Interesting Electronic Gizmos For Home, Office, Men, Women @. Thanks to our technological lifestyle, 4. Do this for hours on end and your body will eventually start to adopt this hunched position.“The average human head weighs about 1. So, if you continually bend your head three inches that adds an alarming 4. Fix it: “Be conscious of keeping the body in a neutral position at all times,” advises Tim. ![]() 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. From the Thighmaster and Shake Weight to anti-aging miracle elixirs, the health and fitness industry is saturated with products promising big results with little effort. The Asus ZenFone 3 (ZE552KL) has been priced at Rs. 27,999 It will directly take on the OnePlus 3 Gadgets 360 rates the phone 8 out of 10. ![]() 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. ![]() GETTYApart from taking over your life, technology might affect your health. Black. Berry 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 9. 0 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. GETTYGaming 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 8. B(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 3. Fix it: Use the 6. MP3 player’s maximum volume for no more than 6. 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. 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 3. Europe per year could be associated with obesity, 6. Fix it: Simply taking a 2. In an analysis of several years of health data from more than 3. Europeans, the researchers estimated that the risk of early death could be reduced by between 1. Screen strain. We spend nearly 5. 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 2. Related articles.
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June 2017
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