Steer clear of marathon computer use
Now, I must start off by clearly stating that I'm not a medical doctor, nor do I pretend to be. The advice offered below are suggestions compiled from sources related to the health habits of computer users.
If you are in severe pain, shut this off and get to a hospital immediately.
If you aren't holding your side in bouts of agony, please continue reading ...
Listen to your body
... not the newest webcast of your favorite YouTube personality.
For some Internet users it may be difficult to step away from your terminal, even for just a few minutes. Health complications and the result of pushing oneself to the limit on a computer is cause for great concern.
This happens to me frequently: I find myself in the middle of a task, finish it and continue on to the next without a break. One thing leads to the next ... the next thing you know you are grabbing at your neck and your legs have gone numb.
It used to be that this was a nagging recurrence for secretaries and administrative professionals, clerks and accountants, and other sit-down vocations only, but it hasn't been bound by this rule for the better part of two decades.
The speed of information has been both a blessing, and a curse. Especially when it concerns your health.
Here are few pointers I've picked up along the way.
Don't multitask - (Or do it and make yourself takes breaks). This article suggests it causes an increased rate in burnout, anxiety and depression. It is studied and reviewed by behaviorial scientists, and is gaining more attention.
Another article states that the brain never multitasks, it only appears so. Human thought operates at speed many times that of the faster super computers today; the mind serializes these tasks. This requires a lot of computing power, and wears it down.
Track time - You keep a budget for household expenses, entertainment, even the new plaid socks you've been wanting to get. But what about time? Keeping track of time at the office and at home is especially important to increase productiveness, and practice active time management skills. Keep a journal or sticky to monitor the time it takes to run to the finish spreadsheet you've put off until now.
Five minutes is five minutes. By the end of the week, five minutes a day lost adds up to 25 minutes you could have been doing something else, like shopping for those plaid socks.
This helps if you develop a schedule for your week (if possible), and allot time for breaks throughout. A happy worker is a productive worker.
Ergonomize your workstation - There are hundreds of solutions available online. Amazon.com and other shopping web sites have plenty of resources for purchasing support for your work area. Wrist and hand reinforcements, neck pillows and seat cushions help.
Sleep - No, not at your desk. At home.
Please visit a medical doctor to address sleep disorders. I would offer my advice on this, but it may be dangerous to your health.
Sleep is not overrated. If anything, it is probably the single-most powerful activity affecting your daily life, emotionally and physically, that one can control directly, yet we have so much trouble doing so.
I read into a fad called polyphasic sleep, which is designed to reduce overall rest time by requiring one to sleep the "core" hours at night, but only for about three hours. Then, throughout the day, hit the sack for naps of about thirty minutes at longest length.
This doesn't work!
The healing part of sleep that keeps the mind and body functioning is R.E.M. If you short yourself this you might as well not have bothered with it to begin with. Sleep is hard-wired into human biology. Adults need at least seven to eight hours.
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Stretch out whenever possible if sitting for long periods. When reading content on a computer screen, focus on a object at a distance for a few moments. Remember to blink. A conscious effort will go a long way. Blinking keeps your eyes hydrated. If needed, carry and use eye drops to refresh them.
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Find help online: Can you catch up on lost sleep? (Scientific American)~Computer Workstation Ergonomics (CDC) ~ Ergonomics for Computer Workstations (NIH) ~ Keeping Track of Time (MIT)
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Angel Sierra is the Digital Production Coordinator at Sauk Valley Newspapers. Find something interesting in the world of science and technology? You can to write to him at asierra@svnmail.com. Your topic may be discussed in an upcoming blog!
