What staring down at your phone all the time is really doing to you

WE ALL know we spend way too much time staring down at our phones. But how bad is it really? Are we all going to end up a nation of hunchbacks?

WE ALL love the convenience of being mobile and doing our work, catching up on news and a little socialising while we’re on the run. The pace of life has definitely sped up but our bodies are starting to look like they’re slowing down.

From that moment of conception we start to grow. Two single cells multiply to form nearly 10 trillion cells that make up our body. These cells continue to replicate as we continue to grow and adapt to our environment. But there does come a point where this replication quality starts to decline like a photocopy of a photocopy … of a photocopy. The other name for this is ageing.

How does this relate to mobile phones? Well, one of the signs we’re no longer on the way up but rather on the way down is our posture.

We all spend way too much time looking down at our phones, according to Tim Robards.

Our level of thoracic kyphosis (or upper back rounding in plain english) can be an indicator of this. Numerous studies show a correlation between a gradual increase in our thoracic kyphosis (being hyperkyphotic) and a decrease in quality of life. There is a strong association between hyperkyphotic postures and increased mortality rates in older individuals.

Put simply, the devices we use so much every day - tablets/smartphones/kindles/laptops - are forcing us to look down and making us look like the Neanderthal man we have previously evolved from.

What can you do about it?

1. Limit your time on devices

That's the obvious one but we have to say it.

2. Hold you device at chest level

Try to make an effort to hold your device up while keeping your head above your shoulders. Good posture will see you keeping your ears aligned with the middle of your shoulders when looking from the side.

3. Stand as much as you can

This will make a big difference to your posture. Whether you’re on a train or at work. Try a stand up desk extension that is a much cheaper alternative than buying a whole new desk.

4. Can’t stand up? Straddle your chair like you’re riding a horse.

There’s a reason why people look so tall and have great posture on a horse and that's because they are forced to tilt their pelvis forward as in when you are standing, rather than rolling back onto your sacrum and slouching in your office chair.

5. Wake your postural muscles up with Bruegger’s postural exercise (see video above)

Five big long breaths every hour will not only fire up your tired postural muscles but it will also wake you up with a hit of oxygen.