Using your smartphone, tablet or laptop for hours upon hours at a time can ruin your vision. It leads to eye strain, dryness, blurriness and a host of other problems. “It’s the combination of not blinking enough and bringing the device closer than you normally look at objects – it strains your eyes,” Andy Hepworth, an optician, said in a BBC article.
In a world where an app on a phone can connect you to someone more than 5,000 miles away, that same exact device can become addictive because the minute you set it down, you feel like you’re missing out. What’s a person in 2015 to do? It may sound simple, but take a break. Put your phone away, step away or look away from your computer periodically. Go for a walk or go out for coffee with someone you haven’t seen in a while. Anything’s better than staying glued to a 3 x 5″ screen all day if you ask me.
2. Say farewell to a good night’s sleep.
Ever said to yourself just before going to bed, “I’ll just check Facebook for a minute” and then before you know it, two or three hours have flown by? Well, not only does using your smartphone right before bed disturb your sleep, but when you finally do fall asleep, the quality decreases. Why? Your smartphone gives off blue light, which causes you to become more alert instead of drowsy because the light is slowing down the production of melatonin, a hormone that induces sleep. Also, according to Hepworth, “Blue violet light is potentially hazardous and toxic to the back of your eyes.”
Have you heard of “text neck”? If you don’t know, it’s a term used to describe what happens to your neck when you constantly text. In fact, it’s even been called an epidemic by many. Whenever you stare down at your phone for long periods of time, you’re putting extra weight on your spine, leading to poor posture. In addition, say hello to headaches and shoulder and neck pain — not fun! If you must use your phone, use your eyes instead of your neck to look down at your phone, or hold up your device at least 10 inches away from your face.
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