Listen up, fellow techys...
Maybe your parents' bothersome warnings actually hold some truth– texting actually CAN be detrimental to your health, especially in the obsessive and constant way that many of us tend to do it. According to research done by the University of Cincinnati, the average young adult sends and receives over 1,700 text messages per user per month (UC Magazine).
If you think about it, that's a lot of typing. Quickly pressing buttons on a tiny keyboard is an unusual movement when it's done almost constantly. Posture suffers from hunching over a phone, eyesight can be damaged from gazing constantly into a small screen, and our finger joints can even be harmed over a long period of time, says Kermit Davis, an associate professor of environmental health in the College of Medicine and an expert in ergonomics (the science of people-machine relationships). Worried that your constant texting habit might hurt your health?Below are some tips recommended by the university to help keep risks to a minimum.
Reduce keystrokes. More keystrokes equals more strain on your hands, particularly the thumbs, so keep messages brief and use word-recognition tools when possible.
Take regular breaks. Doing any repetitive task for long periods of time without a break to let your body recover is a bad idea.
Orient your hands into a neutral posture. The wrist should be relatively straight. Avoid twisting your wrists into odd angles, which leads to chronic muscle inflammation and pain.
Choose a wider keyboard on your mobile device to give you more motion flexibility.
Use alternate fingers. Although it may seem awkward at first, Davis recommends alternating between fingers to give the thumbs a break.
Harper, Amanda. "Texting:Is it bad for your health?" UC Magazine: n. pag. Web. 6 Dec. 2014.
<http://magazine.uc.edu/issues/1210/texting.html>.
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