February 6 and 28 are worldwide phone-free and Facebook-free days! An opportunity to cut ourselves off from social networks and our addiction to screens. In 2019, 16% of French people spent more than eight hours a day in front of a screen*. This hyper-connectivity has effects we don't always realize!
According to a survey carried out by Opinionway for MGEN and the Institut national du sommeil et de la vigilance (INSV), the French sleep an average of 6 hours 41 minutes during the week and 7 hours 33 minutes at weekends. That's one hour less than 30 years ago! This is a real deficiency for most of us, who need between 7h30 and 8h of sleep per night for the body to function optimally. This figure correlates with the 44% of French people who say they watch TV or surf the web before going to bed. By blocking the production of melatonin, screen light reduces the ability to fall asleep and keeps the brain in a state of excitement. As a result, nights are increasingly shorter and of poorer quality.
TIP: Opt for a digital curfew. 1h30 or 1h before bedtime, turn off all screens, tablets, smartphones, computers... And don't turn them back on under any circumstances until the following morning. Don't forget to put your phone on airplane mode to avoid being woken by a notification.
When we're connected to our screens, we tend to sit for longer periods of the day. Being sedentary is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, diabetes and even certain cancers. In short, a sedentary lifestyle is synonymous with poor health!
TIP: At home, we force ourselves to consult our phone while standing up. And of course, if you want to go further, it's best to step away from your smartphone for a few hours a day.
The longer you stare at the screen, the more your eyes tend to converge. So, at the end of the day, your eyes hurt more and more.
TIP: Every hour, take 5-minute breaks from your screens. To rest your eyes, simply close them or look away.
Hyperconnectivity rhymes with a sedentary lifestyle, and therefore with a lack of physical activity. Less well known is the fact that artificial light from screens can also play a role in weight problems. In fact, this powerful light, from the moment we wake up or in the evening, increases insulin resistance and causes glucose peaks in the evening, leading to the risk of weight gain and diabetes.
TIP: Maintain regular physical activity. Walking, cycling, jogging, dancing, soccer... The important thing is to get moving every day.
The problem with consulting your smartphone or tablet is that your head is often lowered towards the screen. Having our necks flexed and our chins tilted towards our chests can cause neck strain. And as you tilt your head, the weight of your head increases. It increases from 5kg in the normal position to an average of 27kg when tilted. The consequences? Back problems and musculoskeletal disorders. It's less obvious, but over-use of the thumb can lead to tendonitis, wrist and shoulder pain.
TIP: remember to use a hands-free kit so you don't have to lean over your phone for too long.
Blue light is thought to be responsible, along with UVA and UVB rays, for premature skin aging. However, there have been no scientific studies to really prove this.
TIP: moisturize your skin no matter what and protect it with an SFP, even a light one.
*Source: Statista
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