Anya Kamenetz, through her book “The Art of Screen Time: How Your Family Can Balance Digital Media and Real Life” asked her audience a few questions.  They are as follows: –

• Are you getting enough sleep, Exercise and Outdoor time?
• When’s the last time you went 24 hours without checking your email and social media?”

As an adult, it’s time you start contemplating your answers to these questions. Today, we spend most of our waking hours whether at work or at home either on our phone or other screens. As per a study conducted by Braun Research Centre and Bank of America, it has been observed that as soon as we wake up, we think about our phones and we tend to check our phones even before we brush our teeth in the morning.

As we spend more time on screen, it can have a huge negative impact on our lives. It affects our health in the most unexpected way. Here are a few health problems that are faced by children, and adults alike.

Vision

Vision – Starring into a screen of either a tablet, laptop or even television for long hours can result in a vision syndrome called “computer vision syndrome.” The other symptoms include dry eyes, headaches, blurred vision.

Body pain

Poor posture such as slouching on the sofa or bed while using your devices such as laptops, smartphones and tablets can lead to severe neck and shoulder pain.

Sleep pattern is affected

Extended screen time will suppress melatonin, the sleep-promoting hormone. This will make us restless. When you don’t get enough quality sleep at night, it can lead to various health problems.

Obesity

When you spend more time with your gadgets it can lead to weight gain. Many of us sit down while on the screen and this increases the risk of heart-related problems, diabetes, obesity and back pain.

You can reduce the effect of screen time on your health by following a few healthy habits.

Cut down on the screen time

• It may be tempting to check on the online news or catch up on social media when you take a lunch or tea break. However, avoid eating with your phone in hand.
• Limit your non-work screen time. Spend time with your family instead of checking your work email when you are at home. It will lead to stress.
• Go for walks without headphones.
• Leave your phone in a different room when you plan to rest.
• Set up a routine to get things done in the morning without checking your mobile device. This will help you get sound sleep and a high level of energy to kick start your day.
• Avoid watching a movie or tv in your bedroom. The bedroom is the place where you rest. Setup your TV in the living room only.
• Also, switch of all your mobile devices at least one hour before going to bed. This will give you better sleep.
• Take up a hobby instead of chatting with friends on any of the social platforms.

Spa massages help relax

If you feel stressed out or have back/shoulder pain, register with a reputed spa close home. Have a relaxation massage at least once in two weeks. Spa massages are no longer just a luxurious treat to pamper yourself. It is the need of the hour for anyone who is in the corporate world fighting against time to catch up with work and strike a work-life balance.

Any certified massage therapist would tell you that massage counteracts the body’s negative response to stress, relaxes muscular tension and help the blood pressure and heart rate to return to normal.

• Reduces back and shoulder pain – Massage releases endorphins into the nervous system. This is the natural painkiller that will reduce pain.
• Sleep better – Massage helps the muscles to relax and sends signals to the nervous system to reduce the blood pressure and settle the heart rate. The breathing becomes deeper and more rhythmic which aids in good sleep. Regular massage may help fight insomnia.
• Better immune system – The circulation in the lymphatic system increases through regular massage. This help heals injuries and wards off infection, thereby improving the immune system of the body.
• Improves skin texture – If your spa therapist uses skin moisturizing and rejuvenating ayurvedic oils, it aids in skin repair and also removes toxins from the body. Regular massage will moisturize the skin thereby improving the skin texture.

Obesity

Along with proper diet and exercise, there are slimming ayurvedic oils that will help in burning the excess fat at the wrong places. However, oil alone may not help if you are unwilling to have a planned and healthy diet and follow a strict exercise regime.

Back, neck and shoulder pain

Obesity leads to back pain. Similarly, bad postures when you are working on your laptop, watching television or smartphone will also lead to severe strain in the neck and back. One of the ways to get rid of the pain is to maintain a good posture, and the other is to apply ayurvedic pain oil to your body. Once you apply the oil, allow the body to absorb the oil and then take bath in tepid to hot water. This will help to relieve pain to a certain extent.

You can approach a spa centre and talk to them about your body pain. If you mention the exact location where you have intense pain, the spa centre would be able to chart out a massage therapy specific to that area. There are various types of massages to help you relax and relieve you of your pain.