The Effects of Technology Use on Our Health

The Effects of Technology Use on Our Health

In a recent article published on Lifescript.com, Dr. Edward C. Geehr, Lifescript’s Chief Medical Officer, reviewed and accepted the theory that our everyday use of technology is slowly damaging our bodies and minds.

Each day, we complete tasks, read news, communicate and entertain ourselves by using electronic devices and computers. Rarely do we get one hour of our waking day completely free of electronics and technology, and according to the Lifescript.com article, experts believe this can negatively impact our health.

There are six ways this article says technology negatively effects our health. Those ways are listed below.

1. Weaker Memory: Technology allows us to multi-task which we believe makes us more efficient, but the opposite is actually true. When we focus on multiple things at once, we are not giving our full attention to one thing, which actually makes us inefficient. In addition to multi-tasking, more people are also relying on technology for facts and information. Instead of holding information in our brains, we just remember where we found it on the internet. Essentially, we rely on the internet to retain information, instead of our memories.

2. Emotional Instability: Sleep deprivation, too much codependence and no alone time. These are the things experts say many people (especially teenagers) are experiencing thanks to an overuse of social networking and texting. Sleep deprivation comes from late-night Facebooking and texting, codependence and no time alone comes from always being able to talk to someone else through phone calls, texting and messaging. Basically, many people feel extreme loneliness and “left out” when they aren’t connected in some way to someone else. In the past, moments of solitude and independent thinking were normal every day experiences. Now they create negative feelings.

3. Strained Vision: According to a 2008 survey by the American Optometric Association (AOA), 40 percent of patients experience eye strain due to computer vision syndrome. Another 45 percent complain of neck and back pain associated with computer or handheld device use. Computer vision syndrome can cause light sensitivity, dry eye, blurred vision, double vision, overall fatigue and headache.

4. Hearing Loss: Earphone use with handheld music devices can cause hearing loss if you are using a high volume. Even using earphones that don’t fit your ears well can cause hearing loss, because it forces you to use a higher volume than when you use earphones that do fit well. As a rule of thumb, you can listen to music at half the maximum volume without any risk.

5. Muscle and Joint Pain: According to a 2006 survey by Virgin Mobile, almost 38 percent of people said they suffer from sore wrists and thumbs as a result of repetitive movements from texting and typing. Although some experts believe that sore thumbs from texting is an urban legend, sore wrists from too much typing is no joke (carpal tunnel syndrome is a serious condition that may require medical treatment). Too much typing and long bouts of sitting in front of a computer can also cause soreness in your neck, shoulders, back and legs.

6. Heart Trouble: Most jobs today require employees to work on computers and stay seated at their desks, but a study by physiologist Marc Hamilton has found that the more you sit, the greater your risk of dying earlier- even if you exercise on a daily basis. Further proof that sitting for a long time can be lethal came from an American Cancer Society study published in July 2010. The study found that women who remained seated for more than six hours per day were 37 percent more likely to die during the time period of the study than women who remained seated for three hours or less per day.

More studies are being done to find the effects of technology use on our health. As of today, it seems that the mere use of technology is not hazardous to our health. However, if we overuse it, it can lead to a multitude of physical and metal conditions.

To read the original article, click here.

About the Author: Sandra Evans owns the website Sports Management Degrees. In her leisure time, she enjoys playing tennis and writing.

Posted in: Article.,Guest post,Health