June
9, 2021
7 min read
This story originally appeared on Alto Nivel
If you feel tired or sore from spending hours sitting in front of the computer and the constant daily video calls, you must understand that humans were not made to sit for eight hours a day, many are suffering the consequences of the constant virtual meetings, both physical ailments such as exhaustion. Here we tell you four health problems caused by spending many hours in front of the computer.
1. You can have “tech neck” or technological neck
Those who have had remote work know the phenomenon of the “technological neck” that has long been the nightmare of many.
According to GoodPath , the technical neck as the back and neck muscles “fatigued, sore and stiff” from “continually bending the neck forward with the added weight of the head.” This pain can also radiate to the back and shoulders.
Why does this happen? A person’s head can weigh between ten and fifteen pounds, when the person is in a neutral posture there is minimal tension on the neck, but when leaning forward, the spine is misaligned and the angle of the head increases the pressure. on the neck the same way you would with 50 or 60 pounds of pressure.
How can I solve this painful problem?
Posture is key, the NY Presbyterian’s Health Matters campaign encourages homeworkers that “a better way to sit is with the chair reclined at 25 to 30 degrees with good lumbar support” in order to avoid slouching. Leaning back may take pressure off your spine and heaviness on your head.
There are chairs with a reclined posture, but you can still use a pillow for the headrest.
2. Tired eyes
The American Optometric Association recently announced a statement about a new phenomenon called “computer vision syndrome,” and in case you’ve been watching a screen for more than five hours a day, you might have it.
What symptoms does computer vision syndrome (CVS) have?
Eye pain, headaches, blurred vision, and dry eyes. In case you feel identified with these symptoms, there is good news and that is that the causes are clear and the recovery is fast. Anything from poor room lighting to screen glare can make CVS worse, and if you don’t have your most recent prescription on hand or are too close to the monitor, your eye pain could get worse.
The American Academy of Ophthalmology recommends that the best way to relieve CVS pain and tension is to simply blink, using the 20-20-20 rule. This method works by “taking a break every 20 minutes looking at an object 20 feet away for 20 seconds.”
Although you can also use a protective anti-glare screen or a visit to the eye doctor.
3. Tight throat
It is one of the most common ailments, due to the way you sit working from home, according to human resources director Gillian Bodgas , according to a Today article.
“Because of the way I was sitting working from home,” Bodgas said, “I basically screwed up my neck muscles and it pushed my vocal cords and made my voice worse.” He was diagnosed with acid reflux and vocal tension, all due to Zoom.
Among the symptoms that exist are: weakness of the voice, change in the quality of the voice (hoarseness or hoarseness), pain or pain when speaking, additional cough or throat clearing.
While Bodgas opted to visit a speech pathologist, Zoom’s sore throat treatment might require a little less time and effort. If you find that sitting for long periods of time makes your acid reflux or GERD worse, try to stay away from coffee and drink plenty of water. Omeprazole is also an over-the-counter medicine for heartburn, but if the drugs from the pharmacy don’t seem to work for you, take your symptoms to your doctor for a prescription, the specialist recommends.
4. Brain
It damages the perception that the brain has about your body. While this phenomenon has also not been researched or talked about as it is fairly new, many home-based workers are beginning to notice and fixate on the flaws in their faces visible only in their Zoom windows. This leads to the influx of an already prevalent problem: body dysmorphic disorder.
The International OCD Foundation states that about 1 in 50 people have BDD symptoms, many of whom suffer in silence, and that number is only increasing. A 2020 article in Vogue suggests that “in recent decades, dissatisfaction with body image in general, and by extension extreme body image disturbances such as BDD , have been on the rise”; Some experts attribute this to “social media and cultural shifts,” while others point out that continued webcam use could be one of the problems.
Another expert mentions that some of the symptoms of this Zoom dysmorphia are when one “worries about his own appearance during the call, gets stuck fixing his appearance for the call by changing his makeup, lighting or camera angle and becomes distracted during the call. comparing his appearance with that of others “. This fixation on one’s appearance, he continues, could detract from one’s ability to focus on work.
Although other problems on the list have a quick fix, being obsessed with one’s appearance as a masochistic Narcissus cannot be cured simply with a small black square taped over one’s Zoom reflection. Doctors recommend psychotherapy for BDD, and the prognosis is usually good.