What’s the first thing you do every morning? The last thing you see before you sleep? If you’re like the average American, it has something to do with your phone. The average American adult spends 11 hours per day on their cellphones consuming news, social media, listening to music or podcasts and reading. Those 11 hours of staring at your phone can be causing you bad posture and headaches.
Why is posture important?
Posture is the way we position our body when we stand or sit. The way we sit can greatly affect the health of our body. Not only does having a correct posture look great, but there are health benefits we can gain. Down below are some of the reasons why you should worry about your posture.
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It can reduce your stress on ligaments.
Align your body’s joints and bones.
It can prevent muscle strains.
Decrease the abnormal joint wear.
Why do phones cause problems?
Now you are probably wondering, how can staring at a phone cause so many problems?
Well, the average human’s head weighs 10 to 12 pounds. When you tilt your head downward or to an angle, your body tries to hold that weight in place. It can cause your muscles around your neck and back to get sore.
Bad posture and headaches are some of the effects from looking down at your phone. You can find yourself slouching and having sloppy posture when you’re swiping through your phone. That pain you are experiencing is caused by a symptom called text neck. What is a text neck? It’s a term used to describe a neck pain that can be caused by looking down at devices like cell phones or tablets for too long.
When your neck is positioned in an unnatural position, like looking down, it can put a strain. The muscle tensions and joint irritation can start to develop those painful headaches.
What can you do to help?
The best way to combat that bad posture and headaches is to start reducing your screen time. If you are working on a computer or phone, try these simple steps to reduce your pain.
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Stretch your muscles. If you are sitting down all day make sure to move your muscles. Slowly move your head from side to side.
If the muscles start to feel stiff, start to massage them. Massage your shoulders or between your shoulder blades.
Remember, have correct posture every time you use your phone for more than 10 minutes. Catch yourself from slouching.
Exercise regularly. Getting a good weekly exercise can help us improve our posture and stretch out those stiff neck muscles.
Visit your favorite chiropractor. A spine realignment or adjustment can really improve your posture. You will start to feel refreshed and energized very soon.
Putting your phone down can help get rid of that bad posture and headaches. Contact Wisniewski Chiropractic to make your chiropractic appointment to get your posture back in shape and alleviate that neck pain as well.
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