Helpful exercise for the effects of screen time
Screen time affects most of us. Whether we’re an adult, teenager, child (especially with virtual school) or educator, many of us are found in virtual meetings at some point. This, in combination with use of a phone for various activities (banking, calendars, news, movies, recipes and more), makes for a battery sapping existence!
Screen time is a common irritant of my headache clients. Certainly, as a neck physiotherapist in Toronto, Canada, whose focus is headache pathology, I often see a direct correlation between increased screen time, and neck strain (There are postural muscles in our neck that are responsible for holding our head up). Now, the eyes are also strained with screen time. We have multiple muscles which move our eyeballs, and hold them still as well, as well as the lens, which is flexible, adjusting light levels which enter us. Commonly, clients with headaches, and / or concussion symptoms, are negatively affected by eye strain.
Being conscious of your screen time is one thing. Raising up your device so that your neck is in a neutral position is also another common intervention. Decreasing brightness of your device screen is also a very simple measure to reduce strain on the eyes. Being aware of your bright screen time in the evening hours is also important, as this conflicts with our body’s natural rhythm, or cycle of wakefulness and sleep.
What about our eye muscles?
And the strain on our eyes irrespective of ergonomics and brightness of screen?
This podcast attached below, speaks to the effects of static positioning of the eyes, that is, prolonged time on screen, and its effects on mental and physical health.
I appreciate many of Dr. Chatterjee‘s guests, and this one is no exception. His guest, Dr. Andrew Huberman, speaks of strategies that you can use everyday, to help with the health of your eyes, which can then impact your physical and mental health as well.
Dr. Andrew Huberman is a professor of neuroscience at Stanford University School of Medicine in the US and he has made numerous contributions to the fields of brain development, brain function and neuroplasticity. His lab’s most recent work focuses on the influence of vision and breathing on human performance and brain states such as fear and courage. His work has been published in top scientific journals including Nature, Science, and Cell and has been featured in global media outlets such as TIME magazine, BBC, and Scientific American.
He speaks of the benefit of starting your day focusing far away, perhaps walking and looking towards the horizon. He speaks of the benefits of natural light on your eyes, even on overcast days.
He also shares with us his quick exercise routine, which includes:
Breathing mindfully as you:
Look straight ahead and focus on how you are feeling.
Look and focus on your finger in front of you.
Look straight ahead and focus on an object far off in the distance.
Looking straight, but being very aware of your peripheral vision, what he calls panoramic vision, being aware of the 180° scope of vision that we have to the sides and in front of us, without moving your head.
These simple exercises help change the dynamics of your lens and your eye, and helps make you more aware of your surroundings, and of how you yourself are feeling.
I say, try these during a break from screen time or apply to your yoga practice! Where is your gaze?!
I believe that especially now during this coronavirus pandemic, and “the new normal” of increased screen time, perhaps working from home more, and / or the increased use of screens during schooling, that these “eye exercises” can prove to be quite refreshing, and beneficial, to our states of health, both physical and mental.
All the very best in health,
Keith
Link to the podcast:
https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/feel-better-live-more-with-dr-rangan-chatterjee/id1333552422
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