Written by Tim Rigby
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to appreciate that spending copious amounts of sedentary time in front of a screen is detrimental to one’s health. Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) released a study indicating that all phases of youth (right up to adulthood) spend a legitimately “unhealthy” amount of time staring at a computer or digital device. Furthermore, it was observed in a separate report that teenagers usually spend seven hours or longer every day staring at screens (and that’s not even including their homework); this report was published by Common Sense Media. By and large, everyone is aware of the health risks associated with such behaviour, yet these remain ignored and dismissed. Such downsides to one’s health include not only eye strain and dry eyes, but a myriad of other conditions such as muscle loss and joint stiffness. Furthermore, these negative physical side effects are to say nothing of the mental/emotional problems which include anti-social tendencies, reclusiveness, lethargy, sleep impairments and depression.
The good news, however, is that we all have control over the situation. Even if you rely on staring at screens as part of your job, you can take regular breaks to refresh your eyes and mind. You can also sneak in brief periods of exercise which will do wonders for your health. Make sure to unplug frequently and live a more balanced lifestyle – the healthier kind that was common before computers and cell phones took over the world.