Diet trends, exercise regimes, and nutritious supplements have always been considered part of human health. Then, online resources such as Customer Review made that easier to manage by providing insightful information and guidance.
Now, we look at a side of human health that is merged with technology - understanding the risks as well as the opportunities. Here are a few ideas to harvest your health with technology.
Set Physical Boundaries
Technology can have an array of negative effects on human health; ranging from physical health issues like loss of hearing or strained eyesight to social issues such as depression and isolation, and even psychological issues such as developing narcissism, a warped sense of reality, and the expectations of instantaneous gratification.
While all of these conditions may not be solved by creating some distance between you and your digital devices; they can help relieve (if not prevent the onset of) them from affecting your life. Stepping away from the screens every once and a while will clarify the difference between the digital and physical, helping you see your reality as it truly is and not the idea or image you portray online. These range from learning who your true friends are to understanding who you are as a person without the stressors of social media. Would you still do something if you couldn’t post about it online? How did you wind up with so much time on your hands?
There are many ways to establish physical boundaries from your digital devices without going cold turkey. These include:
Finding an alarm clock that is not your phone.
Only checking your phone once you have woken up properly with a healthy morning routine - such as drinking water, having a light stretch, and meditating.
Removing excess apps from your phone so you are not distracted by unnecessary notifications.
Airplane mode is your friend.
Setting some free time during your day when you do an activity without the influence of your digital devices, such as walking in nature or painting.
Take Proactive Precautions
They say that prevention is always better than cure. As mentioned above, the integration of technology into almost every aspect of our lives has resulted in some interesting and concerning side effects. The following are suggested precautions that people can take to ensure that their health is not traded off for memes.
- Computer Wrist - Known as carpal tunnel syndrome as a result of a strained wrist during typing and online gaming. Ways to prevent this include using a supportive wrist rest mouse pad, keeping hands warm, and performing wrist exercises.
- Strained Vision - Computer vision syndrome can be prevented by making use of proper and natural lighting, reducing screen glare, eye exercises, and more.
- Short-Term Memory - This function is impaired by technology and can be relieved by drinking coffee, memory recalling games, and chewing gum while learning.
- Sleep - Blue screen light affects sleep patterns, so be sure to finish with your screens at least two hours before bed and keep all technology out of your room.
Embrace The Benefits
Although technology may have a few scary side-effects, it’s not all doom and gloom. There are so many apps with uses that range from brain-boosting memory games to developing language to meditation and time management. Wearable technology has ushered in a new level of health-conscious fitness culture. Coding languages allow people to no longer consume but create content and ideas. Social and sexual boundaries (which once dissipated as a result of technology) can be researched and understood with the wealth of information at our fingertips. Communities are connecting and as a result - crime and corruption are being fought, social and environmental justice is fulfilled, and culture is evolving before our very eyes. These all contribute to a greater and ever-growing understanding of human health.
The fourth industrial revolution has had (and will continue to have) many implications for human health. Exercising physical boundaries and taking proactive precautions can sustain your physical, mental, and social health. While technology may have negative impacts; it is also responsible for growing our understanding of what humans need to be healthy. By questioning, understanding, connecting, creating - we use technology to develop a new collective concept of harvesting human health.
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