Healthy Ways To Use Technology Devices During COVID-19

Due to the outbreak of the coronavirus, most countries across the world have imposed nationwide lockdown to reduce physical contact between people in a bid to curb the spread of the virus. Further restrictions imposed for the safety of everyone such as the closing of shopping centres, sports centres and community clubs as well as companies switching to telecommuting to allow continuation of operation has left many people turning to the constant use of technology devices in an attempt to maintain some routine and get on with getting chores and tasks done.

These measures have left many of us homebound with nowhere to go leading to an increased dependency on technology devices like our laptops and smartphones to pass time and get work done. If we want food, just open the phone app and send an order to get it delivered. To get groceries done, we turn to online grocery stores for our weekly order. When we miss our loved ones, we initiate a video call to ‘see’ them. When we are bored, we chat online, play games or watch a movie streaming to get entertained. To exercise, we tune in to virtual lessons for work out. Our children are also not spared with tons of enrichment classes and school curriculum posting materials online for eLearning in replacement of the usual face to face lessons.

At one end, technology has provided useful avenues and options in the current situation. At the same time, our sharp increase in the company of technology has also expose us to possible physical and mental health issues related to prolong technology use.

If you are amongst the one who is facing such a situation, here are some of the suggested health tips so that you can strike a balance between technology devices usage and keeping fit and healthy amid this situation.

How To Avoid Eye Strain?

Working for long hours in front of your digital devices causes strain to our eyes. Tired eyes can lead to headaches, blurred vision, eye strain, and vision problems.

To combat that, here are a few suggestions that will help you reduce the symptoms of eye strain caused by extensive working in front of your digital devices. These include:

• Take frequent breaks during work: Use a small glass for water, this allows you to stand up and move around to get a refill which in turn add more small frequent breaks for your eyes.

• Make sure there is adequate lighting: Spread out lighting in your home and workspace to ensure sufficient lighting. For good eye health, the best kinds of lighting include warm light sources, such as natural light.

• Use the blue screen filter: Blue light is a form of light emitted by computer, TV, tablet, and smartphones screens which is harmful to the eyes. Having a blue screen filter on your screen to decrease the amount of blue light emitted helps protect eyes.

• Look outside the window: Try the 20-20 rule which basically recommends looking away at something that is far for a total of 20 seconds with every 20 minutes spent on the screen to relax your eyes.

How To Prevent Back Pain/Neck Pain?

Many of us suffer from back or neck pain due to prolonged bad sitting posture. Incorrect posture results in development of stress within muscle tissue, spinal joints and discs.

To deal with the problem of back pain/neck pain, we would recommend the following list of suggestions with which the problem can be elevated. These include:

• Maintain good posture: Avoid hunching, slouching, sitting in bed or lying on your belly in bed while working on laptop, and sit in an upright position. With a good posture, our muscles work together to hold our bodies in correct alignment.

• Get in shape: Core muscles are required to support good posture. If these muscles are weak, they may not support your spine well enough. Engage in regular stretching and aerobic exercise to strengthen your core.

• Invest in a good chair: Ergonomic desk chairs are designed to properly support your body and reduce stress and friction on bones and muscles while you sit. Alternatively, you can include a lumbar cushion in your chair so you do not have to invest in a new chair.

• Position is the key: Adjust the height of your chair so your legs and arms are parallel to the ground. Put both feet on the floor so knees are bend and body weight is distributed evenly across your hips. Keep screen at eye level and position keyboard 10-15cm away from edge of desk so your wrists have room to rest.

How To Reduce Radiations?

Laptops, WiFi Routers, Tablets, Smartphones and Smart Watches emit radiation due to its need to be connected to WiFi and Bluetooth signals. They also have internal parts that are made of metal such as antennas that amplify these signals.

Below are some of the ways through which one can combat these radiation problems:

• Disable Wireless Function: Whenever possible, Wi-Fi function should be disabled when not in use to reduce exposure to the radiation.

• Include small plants: NASA tested, and proved that some indoor plants can absorb radiation. Some of such plants include Cacti, Betal Leaf Plant, Spider Plant, Sansevieria, Aloe Vera and Stone Lotus Flower

• Keep Devices at a distance: Install WiFi router some distance away from where you will send a great time chilling out. Avoid keeping mobile phones next to you when you are not using it.

• Safe sleeping area: When it comes to bedtime, remove all unnecessary wireless devices and turn off mobile phones or switch it to airplane mode.

• Get wired or protection accessories: As a general rule, anything wireless will emit higher levels of radiation compared to a plugged device. Where possible, use LAN cables for direct connection. Introduce Defender Shield product range which is backed by FCC lab testing to black harmful radiation.

How To Prevent Hearing Problems?

Sound waves cause eardrum to vibrate and louder sounds cause stronger vibrations. When you listen to sounds that are too loud for too long, hair cells in the eardrums lose their sensitivity to vibration. People who excessively use the earphones/headphones for conference calls, webinars, listening to music, and watching movies/videos makes them susceptible to noise-induced hearing damage.

Here are some of the tips with which you can control your exposure to the hearing problems:

• Lowering down the volume: It’s that easy: by lowering the volume of your earphones/headset, you reduce your exposure to loud sounds.

• Set a volume limit: Setting up a volume limit ensures that we do not increase the volume way above the usual in a noisy environment.

• Use noise-cancelling headphones: To combat the need to increase volume in a noisy environment, try noise-cancelling headphones that works by generating soundwaves that directly cancel out the external noise.

• Take breaks: To be super safe, use a 60-60 rule by listening at 60% of your device’s maximum volume for 60 minutes, and then take a 10 minutes break.  

These are some of the most frequently reported problems resulting in prolonged exposure to technology while you work from your home. Make sure that you take the necessary protection to ensure good physical and mental well-being during the Circuit Breaker!