It’s the same across the board, our jobs are making us unhealthy. Unless you’re in a job that demands a high level of physical fitness or activity, the chances are, your career is not helping your mental and physical health.
Working in tech, and IT can lead to a number of problems due to the nature of the job. That’s not to say that there are any scary diseases out there that only PHP developers will get, there’s no such thing as ‘coding elbow’, but time and again, those who work in the tech industry are developing the same issues with their health and wellbeing.
Typically, you’ll spend long days in front of a screen, meals eaten on the go or not as healthy as maybe they should be. Downtime at the weekends means catching up with friends or family commitments. Before you know it, long days, stressful projects, lack of exercise, and less than perfect diet start catching up with you.
One very simple solution to that poor diet could be to start taking supplements. Supplements can ensure you get all of the right vitamins and minerals that you need to stay fit and healthy. Reading reviews such as the Neurohacker reviews will help you to see if they could benefit you. In fact, the good news is, with the right kind of lifestyle changes and adjustments to your working life, all the issues are eminently avoidable. We will look at some of the health risks and what you can do about them below:
Eye Strain
Days spent in front of screens, the commute spent looking at your phone, then home in front of the TV. We spend a lot of time looking at screens and our eyes can suffer as a result. Eye strain can cause blurred vision, muscle pain and imbalance, and headaches.
What you can do about it: Set up your workspace correctly so that your screen is positioned correctly (about 2 feet away, the top just below eye level) and that you are working in light that is not too harsh and not too dark. If you wear glasses, consider blue light glasses or an anti-glare coating. Take regular breaks from looking at your screen and get an eye test annually.
Weight Gain
A sedentary lifestyle and terrible diet will lead to weight gain, which in turn leads to an increased risk of Type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea, heart disease, and cancer.
Sitting at a desk all day can also cause a host of problems with posture, joint, and back pain.
What you can do about it: A healthy lifestyle with a good diet, exercise and plenty of sleep are great for helping cope with stress. Try and make mental health a priority too. Unplug whenever you can, and practice mindfulness or meditation if you are open to that kind of thing. An alternative suggestion may be to consider the benefits of taking CBD products. These are gaining in popularity to help cope with stress and anxiety. You may wish to consider looking at a review site to find CBD gummies UK which could help you get the best possible results.
Stress
A little bit of stress can be a good thing. It has an evolutionary benefit of helping us to respond quickly and decisively in ‘fight or flight’ situations. It genuinely saved the lives of our ancient ancestors.
Prolonged stress in the workplace can have a devastating effect on both mental and physical health, in addition to anxiety and depression, stress can affect the immune system and cause insomnia and heart disease. USA Metal Health First Aid conducted research that showed that 46.4 percent of people will experience some form of mental health issue in their lifetime.
What you can do about it: A healthy lifestyle with a good diet, exercise, and plenty of sleep are great for helping cope with stress. Try and make mental health a priority too. Unplug whenever you can, and practice mindfulness or meditation if you are open to that kind of thing. Alternatively, providing it is legal where you are you can look into purchasing THCa Flower to help chill you out and give you a calming high.
Musculoskeletal Problems
The act of sitting in front of a screen, typing or using a mouse for most of the day can cause all sorts of issues with our bodies. Conditions such as carpal tunnel syndrome, tendonitis of the wrist, tenosynovitis, and ulnar nerve entrapment can all develop.
Poor posture, coupled with a lack of proper exercise can cause compressed nerves in the spine, back and shoulder pain, and rotator cuff problems. Persistent bad posture can also be a leading cause of things such as indigestion, constipation, and even respiratory problems as the lungs become constricted.
Whoever thought that sitting up straight would be so important? You should have listened to your teachers.
What you can do about it: Set up your workstation as ergonomically as possible. As part of your exercise routine, including activities such as yoga or pilates. At the first sign of any issues, see your GP or physical therapist before the problem gets worse. Make sure that you include back exercises in your exercise routine so that you don’t cause an imbalance or injure yourself due to the weakness in your back muscles.
Cardiovascular Disease
At present, tech is still a male-dominated industry in some sector and almost one in three men in America will develop some form of cardiovascular disease at some point in their lives (American Heart Association). This can lead to high blood pressure, stroke, or even a heart attack.
What to do about it: Again, a healthy diet and exercise program is the best way to minimize your health risks in this area. Smoking and excessive alcohol consumption will also increase your risk factors so try and cut down. As part of your annual physical, it’s a good idea to get your cholesterol and blood pressure checked.
Key takeaways
Working in tech is great, but it can lead to a number of health conditions that can impact your health and wellbeing in major ways.
However, by being smart and taking charge of our lifestyles, these risks can be greatly reduced. Good mental and physical health can make us happier and productive at work and at home.
Luckily, employers are beginning to become aware that healthy happy employees are good for business and are making employee wellbeing a part of their wider engagement strategy, offering perks such as gym memberships, healthy food, and health insurance.