Don't let that gadget smart your health

Social Media Stress or Facebook Depression Facebook and its ilk can be more than just building a network From mooning over your school friendrsquos Venice trip to envying the 1000 or more friendsrsquo list social media has been causing a domino effect of stress anxiety and depression Dr Anjali Chhabria psychiatrist etches out a few symptoms that one can identify with Dr Anjali Chhabria Psychologist gtgt Lack of conversation It is sometimes seen in a group of closed ones friends family where they hang out together yet each or most would be indulging in texting or talking over their mobiles For example lsquoA girl in her late 20s hadu00a0complained to me that her husband does not have enough time for her and that even when they are together he is busy on his laptop or cell phone Even during fights he would get distracted with a Whatsapp alert and would attend to that than resolving the fight u00a0 gtgt Ineffective daily functioning People often experience anxiety or a panic state when they lose their cell phones no mobile phobia or nomophobia and even when their Internet stops working They may spend significant period of time worrying about it and wondering how they will lsquoliversquo without it It may be a cause of prominent distress for the individual which may affect his her studies work or personal commitments gtgt Isolation Sometimes individuals can also become withdrawn or aloof and may prefer to be only home with their computers mobiles Thus they choose to be alone and may perceive othersrsquo approach towards them as interference How to opt for that Digital Detox With the word becoming official this year with its addition to the Oxford Dictionary one beckons you to sit up and take notice of this tricky retreat If you still think this word doesnrsquot mean business the Californiabased company Digital Detox offers yoga meditation hiking indulging in art and savouring organic cuisine If yoursquore too much on the run Dr Chhabria gives you simple and succinct pointers to simplify your analoged life gtgt Set a timerestraint Do not allow yourself to use smartphones tablets laptops more than a couple of hours on an average Another way could be to resort to them after other priorities have been met gtgt Sign up for a hobby class that ensures peer interaction and acts as a destressing agent at the same time Lock that gadget away and attend to no calls or pings to participate in a creative environment holistically gtgt Alternate your routine by performing daily functions in a techfree manner For instance resort to newspapers once in the day find directions without GPS and spend oneonone time with your loved ones Staying close to nature and exercising areother routes to feel more at peace and in harmony u00a0 Eye on the screen Dr Preetam M Samant Ophthalmologist PD Hinduja Hospitalcharts out how your eyes suffer with 24x7 usage of a smartphone or tablet Dr Preetam M Samant Ophthalmologist gtgt Red Eyes Most of these gadgets are known to induce this as the person stares without blinking while reading on the gadget The rate of blinking radically reduced leads to drying up of the tear cells as the fluid on the surface of the eyes evaporates at a greater rate This eventually leads to redness and itching u00a0 gtgt Hard Headache Times As one reads from most of the smartphones tablets at a close distance spasm in the eye muscle is caused due to extensive strain on the eyes With smartphones tablets one ends to read while travelling urging your eyes to constantly focus on an object thereby straining them The strained eyes experience fatigue of the muscles Also the radiation of the screen often travels to the skull leading to prolonged headaches especially in the region of foreheads temples gtgt Loss of periphery Especially in the case of smartphones onersquos vision gets restricted to a certain dimensions of the gadget With that the eyes are more prone to fatigue Also as you tend to look at a tabulated space your entire sight focusses on macula which is the central portion of the retina The peripheral muscles weaken as they are repeatedly neglected Help at hand One obviously needs to reduce the number of hours exposed to a portable gadget at least A 202020 rule works best for thesight read on a 20inch display screen only for 20 minutes and break it with a 20minute hiatus Other known measures are to splash your eyes with cold water or use an ice pack Bone beware Dr Vivek Shetty Orthopaedic Surgeon at PD Hinduja hospital shares ldquoAs these gadgets have small buttons and one is constantly texting certain muscles in the thumb tend to get sore Also while being on the phone or holding a tablet the elbow is strained which has a possibility of being inflamedrdquo He spells out few prominent maladies Dr Vivek Shetty Orthopaedic Surgeon gtgt Tendonitis Tendons are flexible bands of tissue that connect muscles to bones Tendonitis is the severe swelling of a tendon Tendonitis usually happens after repeated injury to an area such as the wrist or ankle It causes pain and soreness around a joint gtgt Trigger thumb Painful triggering or locking of the thumb is a common problem that can significantly interfere with hand function and the performance of routine activities Those who resort to the extreme count of eight hours of texting are prone to this gtgt Neck spasms or spondylitis As many people hold the phone between the neck and the shoulder necks spasms are extremely common Also in terms of tablets and smartphones one is constantly looking downwards leading to Trapezitis which is inherently related to bad posture Help at hand Every two hours stretching is advised to ensure a break for the overexerted muscles Also hands free or Bluetooth are easier to use though caution should be maintained as these devices are reportedly known for radiation A voiceover software can also alleviate texting issues What gadget gurus have to say Manu Sharma Director of Mobile Business at Samsung India avers that several features are being introduced to make these gadgets userfriendly For instance Samsung Devices S4 improves accessibility for users who have impaired vision hearing or reduced dexterity It has features like Talkback which when turned on provides spoken feedback to help blind and low vision users For example it describes what you touch select and activate Light and colour adjustment are also inculcated The colour adjustment feature helps the colour blind as wellu00a0An exciting component of these gadgets is an Assistant Menu which enables functions to improve device accessibility for users with reduced dexterity one can preadjust onersquos dominant hand right or left also reorderedit menu optionsu00a0