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Our cultural problem with technology is affecting our health

Today is World Wide Web Day. Hoorah. I'm such a fan. I love online shopping (much easier with 2 small children), I'm always using social media, and I love music and video on demand. I get drawn into the latest gadget and I'm passionate about how the web has the ability to be inclusive... so don't get me wrong, I love technology. Oh, and without it I'd not be able to blog! :-) 

 However, we need to be aware of the flip side to the myriad of benefits the web brings us. I believe that the web and associated technologies are literally crippling us. Our need to be permanently switched on and our fixation with screens has a physical affect (so called 'text neck') and it goes further than that. It affects our sleep, which in turn affects just about every aspect of life, from health to happiness. 

 Blue light (that's the light that comes from our smart phones, tablets, laptops, most TVs etc) blocks the production of melatonin, the sleep hormone, inevitably causing sleep problems. There are plug-ins and apps to minimise the problem, such as F.lux, which I've used for ages and Apple's NightShift - a blue light filter for iOS; but they don't solve everything.

 Here is one example. Arianna Huffington writes in her book The Sleep Revolution, that we reward ourselves with another box set episode... thinking we're giving ourselves a treat, yet we're actually depriving ourselves of essential, restorative sleep. Then, the cycle continues because the blue light hasn't started the melatonin production, so we don't feel sleepy, so we watch another episode. A recent advert for Sky Box Sets had Idris Elba saying "you can't go to bed now David, there's only one episode left!" and then "Well done" when 'David' clicks play. 

 I'm not slamming box sets (I was somewhat addicted to Mad Men) and I'm certainly not having a pop at Idris Elba (he can sit on my sofa anytime), but how do we feel in the morning after a marathon box set late night? Awful... and so we prop ourselves up with coffee and sugary/fatty foods, which is no doubt contributing to the rise in obesity. (...and that's the subject of a future blog post.)

 It's just one example to get you thinking...

 All I'm saying here is yes, technology rocks, it has the ability to enrich our lives in ways we haven't even thought possible yet... but we must also recognise the flip side, so we can mitigate the risks, and enjoy the benefits.

 TSL
#thesnoringlady
#tryingtoretaingoodposture
#puttingdownthatbiscuit

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