Too Much Tech Takes It Toll
If you have a sore head and struggled to get out of bed this morning, it may not be last night’s glass of wine – you could quite possibly be suffering from a “tech-hangover”.
New research has revealed more than one in three Brits suffer from regular tech-hangovers – leaving them drained, exhausted and in physical pain. The research revealed physical symptoms such as eye pain is a cause for concern for 36% of Brits, and a further 17% suffer from severe headaches as a result of prolonged periods of time using
technology.
Almost half the people surveyed admitted that too much time using technology leaves them exhausted – and a further 26% said they felt drained after looking at a screen for too long.
But emotional factors also feature in our tech-hangover – with one in twenty claiming spending too much time in the online world leaves them with regular feelings of low self-esteem.
The report shows the average person now spends almost 15 hours a day attached to their mobile phone, laptop or computer. Over a fifth claimed they find switching their brain off a struggle after a long period of time online – and 15% said staring at the screen has affected their quality of sleep considerably.
The report, carried out by Bach Rescue Remedies, also revealed that the average Briton checks their phone for updates 33 times every 24 hours. On average, 16-29 year olds are the most active, checking their phones
for social media updates 53 times a day. And 29% said they were even driven to check their phone in the middle of
the night – with almost half admitting it is switched on all night and placed close by their bed.
A further 12 admitted they sleep with their phone on and under their pillow and eight percent said they fall asleep with it somewhere in their bed. What have we all become?!
We’ve all suffered that sense of panic when the battery indicator turns red and we’re miles from our charger, so it’s unsurprising that 28% of those surveyed admitted they feel ‘lost’ if their phone runs out of battery.
Nearly half of those surveyed (47%) said they have never tried to limit the amount of times they check their phone or social media during the day but a worried 15% said they were trying to cut back their usage to just one hour a day. Sounds like we should all give that a go!
While it’s true that we all have busy lives, and technology plays an important part in keeping us connected with our friends and family, as well as work, shouldn’t we consider taking a bit more time out away from the screens and talking to people face to face? It might not just help our moods, but even our physical wellbeing.
Neil Shah, Chief De-stressing Officer at The Stress Management Society and author of The 10-Step Stress Solution told Belle About Town: “In the fast moving pace of modern society, people are always on and always connected. Sadly, these findings don’t surprise me. People have become so attached to their technological devices that many even suffer from ‘nomophobia’, the fear of being without mobile contact. So much so, they are even taking their phone to the toilet!
“Studies have shown that technology before bedtime can significantly reduce the quality of our sleep. It is much harder to for us to achieve deep REM sleep when we are emitted to blue light technology before bedding down for the night, this may well be the reason that so many people are finding it hard to switch off. Having your phone in your bed is exceptionally bad too. Try to move all devices that can emit blue light technology out of your bedroom or away from your bed to achieve a good night’s sleep.”
An additional 40 of the 1,000 people surveyed admitted they have thought about ditching all social media in the past but felt too concerned they would miss it. Maybe it’s time we all gave giving up a go. Go on, we will if you will, We dare you!
- Rescue Remedy is a combination of five Bach original flower essences specially blended to provide support in times of emotional demand. It can be used any time, any where, and is suitable for the whole family.
