We love gadgets and, in certain circumstances, we’re even fairly sure they’re good for us. BUT there’s a growing body of evidence that today’s craze for gizmos and devices can be having a deleterious effect on our physical and mental health. Here’s a few sobering points for you to point out, amend, and then make your less conscientious friends worry about instead.
Screens Are Destroying Your Eyesight
We’ve all experienced that dry eye feeling you get after a hard day guzzling down cat pictures, but that may just be the start. A current article in the Opthalmology Journal suggests that global eyesight will take a precipitous drop in the next 30-40 years as more and more people bathe their naked eyeballs in the sickly UV of digital screens. Professionals suggest you counter the effects of all this exposure by taking regular breaks and placing your screen further away, as well as taking trips outside and engaging in activities which require long distance viewing.
“Text Neck”Ain’t Good For Your Spine
Another symptom synonymous with the world of handheld devices, the dreaded text neck is something most people have combatted at one time or another. At the risk of sounding incredibly obvious, the treatment for this is fairly simple – hold your phone up higher so your neck doesn’t have to crane itself into the shape of a cistern pipe just to take in your 500th meme of the day.
Sleep Deprivation Is No Bed Of Roses Either
While you might have thought the real problem of this generation’s mobile, laptop and tablet device addiction was something to do with radiation polluting our brains and bodies, by far the worst aspect of these devices for most people is the sleep deprivation inherent in that one last post or Netflix video before bed. Doctor’s orders? When you go to bed, try and cut down on the cognitive activities which will excite your brain too much, interrupting the usual sleep patterns necessary for a good night’s rest. In short? Save those bacon listicles for morning, and count some sheep instead. Simple!
