How Computers Affect Our Life

by Jason M. health consultant

Invention of computers is one of the most remarkable innovations of our life. Their capabilities are so large that it is hard to imagine how life could be if they ceased to exist. We no longer do executing stuff manually, we don’t need paper to keep the recorded information, we can find any kind of information we want in a minute on the internet, we can instantly communicate with people all over the world, to mention but a few. But are computers so inoffensive? How do they affect our life?

On average we spent about 8 hours a day in front of the computer – the time we would spent on real-life communication and outdoor activities. This time is usually spent alone and not with the rest of the family. Besides cooling down in family relations and deliberate deprivation of physical reality, continuous working on your computer has a negative impact on many body functions: higher nervous activity, endocrine, immune and reproductive systems, as well as vision and musculoskeletal systems. In other words it means that a common man can develop anything from impaired vision to varicosity.

All the above mentioned ailments will certainly affect your mental state as well. With ever increasing frequency internet and virtual games lead to computer dependency - a form of mental disorder. Continuous working on computer may also lead to obesity, gastritis, ulcer, prostatitis, straight intestine disorders, with hemorrhoids being the most common among them.

What can you do to protect yourself?

To avoid eyestrain and vision disorders adjust the height of your screen so you are not tensing your neck by tilting your head down. Do not stare at the screen without blinking. Blinking will help avoid dry eyes. Take periodic breaks during which you can relax and stretch your neck muscles. This will also help to alleviate the eyestrain, poor posture and stress that can be the cause of headaches.

In order to alleviate back pain and increase the comfort while working on your computer, practice ‘dynamic sitting’ – do not stay in one static posture; be flexible and move while sitting. Adjust the backrest to sit at a 90 degree angle and your feet flat on the floor or a footstool. Also adjust the lumbar support to fit the natural inward curve of your low back. Use your armrests to support the weight of your arms and allow your shoulder and neck muscles to relax.

To prevent carpal tunnel syndrome adjust the height of your chair so that your forearms are the level with your keyboard and you don’t have to flex your wrists to type. Breaks are also important to give rest to your arms and wrists.

Computer can make our life easier or can add an array of problems, it can become a friend or an arch enemy, it can help find likeminded people or lead to loneliness. Take care of yourself and don’t go to extremes when enjoying life and pleasures of modern inventions.