Technology has become an important part of our lives, and why not!? It is amazing what we can do on our smartphones. We use them to communicate to different people across the world, to answer those niggling questions, find out directions as well as influencing the way we shop, exercise, and entertain ourselves. However, it’s becoming noticeably more common to see couples or friends out together with their heads pointing towards their phones. In fact, 80% of people admit to using their phones while with friends. According to statistics, Ireland holds the biggest phone internet users in Europe. It is not surprising then that 73% of people would use their phones while having dinner with family. It may not be a bad idea for everyone to switch off and take a break from technology.
There are many different benefits to switching off from technology, check them out below:
Sleep
Many people struggle to fall or stay asleep, however, most do not realise that it’s their phone that is the problem. Research has shown that 35% of people check their phone five minutes before going to sleep, while 48% of people check their phones during the night.
The reason behind this poor sleep, is down to the blue light that smartphones, laptops, and tablets emit. This blue light affects the production of the sleep-regulating hormone, melatonin. Besides that, reading a text or email before bed can affect your emotions or get your mind racing, thus getting your body and mind more activate when it needs to relax.
Experiencing poor quality sleep can in turn affect your mental health. Leading to symptoms of anxiety or even depression. So, tonight, instead of checking your phone while in bed, stop looking at your phone thirty minutes before you go to sleep. It is important to also make sure that your phone will not disturb you during the night. Most smartphones will have a “do not disturb” option, this will prevent any noise coming from your phone between certain hours.
Better Mental Health
With the increased use of smartphones, comes increased feelings of anxiety. We have all become obsessed with checking our texts, emails, and social media when if we can’t see it, may cause symptoms of anxiety. People are afraid that something important may be happening.
Although 99% of the time nothing has changed since the last time you looked at your phone. It has been shown that many people often feel worse about themselves and their lives after visiting a social media site. Looking at friends, family or celebrities posting about their lavish holidays, “perfect” body or possessions, can make anyone feel low.
So how about you stop doing that to yourself? Switch the phone off or just put it away for a while. Enjoy the time you have and the time spent with others. These moments you have will never happen again. So, cherish every second of every day. If we’re always too busy with technology, we will continue to miss so much.
Written by Alannagh Kelly
References
https://www.becomingminimalist.com/unplug-please/
