Health Issues Caused by Technology

Computing has been responsible for many great medical advances and technology. However, over the years computer usage has drastically increased and is now part of the lives of many. Increased daily usage of computers and similar technology comes with a vast variety of benefits however there are also many downsides to such usages, especially when it comes to your health. 

Repetitive Strain Injury

Excessive usage of computers, smartphones, tablets can easily cause repetitive strain injury. As the name suggests, repetitive strain injury is caused by repeated activity, movement or even positions. One of the most modern causes of RSI (Repetitive Strain Injury) is due to using a computer, specifically a mouse and keyboard. Bad desk ergonomics is often the cause of this or atleast an aid for causing these injuries, desk ergonomics refers to the design and set up of your desk and how it can be arranged in the most efficient way in order to minimise injury and harm. RSI caused by computers will more commonly occur in hands, wrists, arms and shoulders. The symptoms can range from pain, stiffness, weakness and tingling. There are ways to prevent RSI often the best way to treat repetitive strain injury is by preventing any further pain - good desk posture, addition desk supports such as keyboard cushioning and mouse support pads. More importantly, taking frequent breaks is another great way to prevent RSI however this is not always possible. The most common treatment for pain is hot or cold packs on the affected area, ibruprofen creams can also help. However, as mentioned previously the best advice given is assuring your work environment is comfortable in terms of you posture and surrondings. Using ergonomic peripherals such as vertical mice and split keyboards can make sure that your arms and hands are in neutral positions to reduce strenuous movement. 

Computer Eye Strain

After a long night at your desk you might often find yourself with dry eyes, blurred vision and even unexplainable headaches. You might not know this already but those are common symptoms of computer eye strain. Prolonged computer use, badly lit monitors and incorrect workstation environments. According to Specsavers, other common symptoms of computer eye strain include: Watery eyes, difficulty focusing, sore eyes and a sensitivey to light. These symptoms are all annoying to deal with, especially when there's no way around giving your eyes a break when you've got a deadline looming. There are a few ways around reducing the impact and likelihood of computer eye strains, as mentioned previously badly lit monitors and incorrect workstation evironments can be a cause. Adjusting your monitors settings in particular the brightness can reduce the impact of eyestrain, making sure you're adjusting the brightness to the same level of light in the room is important. We've all been in the dark where the light from our computer illuminates the room, making sure you have a light on in the area you're working in can help eye strain drastically. Reducing the glare on your screen can also be beneficial, there are ways around this but the most commonly used is getting a hold of specific glasses which are created to reduce computer screen glare alongside providing a tint which is easier on the eyes. 

Insomnia

There are a few more physical health issues that we haven't menioned in this post but it felt neccessary to also include an issue that can affect your mental wellbeing. Insomnia is often linked to excessive computer use and most people aren't aware of it as how normal and easy it has become to use mobile phones, tablets, laptops before bed. The reason for the correlation is due to the blue light that a computer screen can emit signaling your brain to assume that it's day, naturally affecting your sleep cycle. Thankfully, operating systems such as Windows are now implementing features that change the appearance of your display automatically based on your computers clock.  Windows for example replaces the blue tint with an orange tint.

By Aurora Fernandes