With doomscrolling, digital addiction and brain-breaking misinformation, much has been said about the impact of technology on our mental health. But far fewer words have been uttered on the damaging effects computing can have on our physical wellbeing.
When technology fails, it can cause distress and raise levels of the stress hormone cortisol in the brain. One technique for combatting overly high cortisol is deep-breathing exercises. However, technology may be hampering our ability to do this too. Research shows that, some people unconsciously hold their breath or take shallower inhales when working in front of a screen, whether that be using a desktop or tapping in messages on their phone.
Researchers have called this phenomena ‘email apnoea’. The name is a reference to sleep apnoea – the condition where we struggle to breathe while in slumber – but its consequences can be very real.
Coined by the influential author and sociologist, Linda Stone, as many as 80% of people unconsciously hold their breath when they respond to their emails. Holding our breath messes with the balance of oxygen in our bodies and can lead to fatigue, stress and anxiety.
There’s also a relationship between shallow breathing and the vagus nerve, which is an important component of the nervous system, meaning that poor respiration can trigger a fight-or-flight response – a common cause of panic attacks.
Stone noticed that, although she regularly engaged in breathing exercises, her breathing became shallow when she sat at her computer to check her emails.
She invited 200 participants to take part in a study at her home and found that most of those subjects (80%) also breathed more shallowly when stationed in front of a screen. The remaining 20%, Stone found, included participants who had received formal training in breathing as part of their hobbies, such as dancers, musicians and athletes.
Some researchers hypothesise that the primary reason people might suffer from email apnoea is over-stimulation. But it can also be caused by eye strain, being distracted and less aware of our bodies or when we’re under pressure to act quickly.
Experts, including Stone, recommend that people take regular micro-breaks in order to reset themselves and start breathing normally again.
This is particularly important because stress levels at work can be very high. Some stress at work is unavoidable – and sometimes desirable in order to complete tasks to a high standard. However, figures from the Health and Safety Executive show there were 602,000 cases of work-related stress, anxiety and depression in 2019. This accounted for roughly 12.8 million working days lost to stress.
While our managers may be more or less attuned to these issues, there’s one thing we can all have more control over: learning to take a breather – literally.
With doomscrolling, digital addiction and brain-breaking misinformation, much has been said about the impact of technology on our mental health. But far fewer words have been uttered on the damaging effects computing can have on our physical wellbeing.
When technology fails, it can cause distress and raise levels of the stress hormone cortisol in the brain. One technique for combatting overly high cortisol is deep-breathing exercises. However, technology may be hampering our ability to do this too. Research shows that, some people unconsciously hold their breath or take shallower inhales when working in front of a screen, whether that be using a desktop or tapping in messages on their phone.
Researchers have called this phenomena ‘email apnoea’. The name is a reference to sleep apnoea – the condition where we struggle to breathe while in slumber – but its consequences can be very real.
