“Email apnea” is a phenomenon where people hold their breath or breathe shallowly while checking emails, leading to adverse health effects. The concept was coined by Linda Stone, who also introduced “continuous partial attention”. Interrupted breathing can increase stress and affect appetite. Being aware of breathing and taking breaks from computer work can help.
The concept of “email apnea” was coined by a researcher named Linda Stone who studies the relationship between people and technology. We also owe her the concept of “continuous partial attention”. Stone first wrote about email apnea in February 2008, and the topic quickly traveled the Internet through a network of blogs and news sites, raising questions about how people interact with computers and technology .
According to Stone, she first noticed the email apnea phenomenon in herself, while she was checking her email one day. Stone realized she was holding her breath as she searched her inbox, her brain spinning and trying to figure out where to file things, what to reply to, and how to deal with the assortment of e-mails that arrive every day. morning. Once she noticed her email apnea, Stone began looking around and noticed other people apparently doing the same thing, shallow breathing, hyperventilating or not breathing at all as they checked their email, used their phones and engaged in similar activities.
Stone was intrigued by this and appealed to the tech world, asking people if they had noticed the same problem. She also interviewed several scientists to learn more about the impact of irregular breathing on human health, and was shocked to learn that breath holding, shallow breathing and hyperventilating can all have adverse health effects, especially in the long term.
In the short term, interrupted breathing can increase feelings of stress, as it’s connected to the vagus nerve, part of the “animal brain” that oversees basic flight and combat responses, among many other things. By breathing irregularly, the body triggers a nervous response, straining, dumping chemicals into the nervous system and confusing the body. Email apnea may also be linked to weight gain, according to Stone, as the vagus nerve is also involved in satiety determinations; so by not breathing in the morning while checking email, you could be interfering with your appetite by lunchtime.
You may have noticed email apnea in yourself and unfortunately Stone offers no solutions to the problem. Being more aware of your breathing in general can help, as can taking regular breaks from computer work. Such breaks also provide an opportunity to allow your eyes to adjust as you stretch your body and relax your mind. This will contribute to better long-term health and can dramatically reduce stress.
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