Introduction
Adopting and maintaining a healthy lifestyle is crucial for techies and non-techies. However, the demanding nature of work in tech tends to throw off work-life balance.
Studies have shown the negative impact of poor work-life balance on tech professionals. This is evident in an increased rate of mental health issues, burnout, depression, and stress. The importance of a healthy work-life balance cannot be overemphasized. It boosts productivity.
A healthy individual is one who is physically, mentally, socially, and emotionally well. Therefore, every individual must attain optimal health to carry out tasks effectively.
Most organizations and individuals fail to prioritize maintaining a healthy work-life balance. In as much as hard work is crucial for success in almost every industry, don’t forget that adopting a healthy work environment and healthy practices promote efficiency and effectiveness in the workplace.
This article aims to educate tech professionals on maintaining a healthy work-life balance and avoiding becoming victims of the aforementioned health-related issues.
The Challenge of Balancing Tech and Health
Due to its demanding nature, balancing tech and health presents many challenges. But don't forget that healthy employees are more productive. When you overstress yourself, you cannot work to your full capacity. There is a popular saying, “Health is wealth.”
Firstly, long hours, seen in tight deadlines and project demands, can pressure employees to work extended hours. There is a relationship between long working hours and mental health. How does this affect your mental health? This results in poor sleep quality, depression, which is a type of mental disorder, fatigue, and decreased productivity.
The human body is like a machine that needs the collaborative efforts of different parts for proper functioning. When one part is overworked, it throws the body off balance. Therefore, it needs adequate rest for proper functioning. An unhealthy lifestyle will cause dysfunction in the body system.
Take this scenario to illustrate how long working hours reduce productivity: James and Joshua work in the same company. James is hard working and works for extended hours; sometimes, he sleeps over at his workplace. Joshua is also hardworking but tends to follow the normal work regimen and goes home to rest.
The next day, James quickly rushed home with a stressed face and swollen eyes to freshen up and resume work. Using this scenario, who do you think will be more productive? The answer is straightforward: Joshua will be more productive during the day because he has had enough rest, unlike James. James may experience fatigue, inability to make sound decisions, and restlessness.
This scenario explains how long hours of work have a negative impact on the mental health of the individual.
Secondly, a sedentary work style can also be seen in sitting for long hours in a particular spot. This activity predisposes individuals to specific health issues that can interfere with their health and well-being. The health issues associated with a sedentary work style are musculoskeletal disorders such as back and neck pain, obesity, and even the risk of heart disease.
A large review of studies published in 2015 in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that even after adjusting for physical activity, sitting for long periods was associated with worse health outcomes, including heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, and cancer.
A sedentary work style also hinders blood circulation. This results in circulatory problems such as high blood pressure.
These activities predispose individuals to many potential health risks, some of which may sometimes cost the individual life. Some of the health risks are already mentioned. In addition, the individual may suffer eye strain due to long screen time.
The American Academy of Ophthalmology explains that looking at digital devices won’t necessarily damage your eyesight. However, it can cause strain and unpleasant symptoms such as dry, irritated, and tired eyes.
Strategies for Staying Healthy
Staying healthy does not cost much. It requires a change in behaviour and attitude, as well as access to knowledge to keep up to date. Here are some of the strategies to stay healthy:
Physical Activity: Physical activities such as exercise help improve mood and focus, especially yoga, a form of exercise and meditation technique that combines physical posture and breathing exercises.
Exercise increases blood flow to the brain, enhancing cognitive function. It also reduces the risk of heart disease, strengthens bones and muscles, and improves the ability to perform day-to-day activities. It also helps in weight management. This is achieved by lifting weights and engaging in bodyweight exercises. Overall, exercise is important for cardiovascular health.
Ergonomics and Posture: Ergonomics is associated with the study of people in the work environment and how to eliminate the risk of injury in the workplace.
You can achieve good posture and ergonomics by setting up a healthy workspace. This is seen in having access to adjustable chairs, monitor height, taking short breaks to stretch your body, and moving around.
These help improve blood circulation and prevent musculoskeletal health-related problems such as muscle strains and low back injuries. Companies/organizations should ensure employees have a healthy work environment.
Diet and Nutrition: A balanced diet is important for proper brain functioning. Food rich in fats and oils such as omega-3 Fatty acids boost brain functioning, which is present in oily fish.
Examples of oily fish are sardines, tuna, herring, salmon, etc. Other examples of food that promotes brain health are green vegetables, which are rich in vitamins, blueberries, nuts such as walnuts, dark chocolate, etc.
Note: A balanced diet contains the essential nutrients in the right proportion, and it is also crucial to have them at the appropriate time.
Medical professionals recommend having breakfast from 7 am, 8 am, 9 am and 10 am. Lunch is between 1 pm and 2 pm, then for dinner, ideally by 6 pm. Emphasis on the dinner, anything from 6 pm -7 pm, is considered food poisoning.
A common challenge for tech professionals is binge eating, which affects their digestive health and metabolism. While diet plans may also be an issue, this can be solved using meal-planning applications.
Eye care and screen time: Many tech professionals suffer from computer vision syndrome(CVS), also known as eye strain. This condition affects the eyes due to prolonged use of digital screens, such as computers and other technological gadgets.
Eye strain is seen in dryness and irritation of the eyes, watery eyes, blurred vision, etc. How do you care for the eye to avoid this condition? You can achieve this by adjusting screen brightness and settings, using screen glasses, enabling eye care mode in your system and mobile phones, and practising the 20-20-20 rule.
According to health professionals, for every 20 minutesspent using a screen, try to look away at something that is 20 feet away for a total of 20 seconds. This is how long it takes for your eyes to reset and relax
See link to read more about eye strain
Other strategies include disconnecting, taking breaks, vacationing, and prioritizing sleep and relaxation.
For example, a developer trying to fix an error may have tried all the solutions, but the error persists. Now, the developer can avoid burnout by taking a long walk, playing games to relax the brain, staying off your laptop for a while, and sleeping. People address this in many ways when they find themselves in such a situation.
However, not all adopt these healthy practices; they tend to do it the other way round, which can mess up their mental health. Therefore, it is important to adopt these strategies to maintain a healthy work-life balance.
Technology as a tool for Wellness
Technology has significantly changed the health industry today. This section will explain how to incorporate technology in developing healthy lifestyle attitudes and behaviours.
Regarding physical activity, tech professionals should adopt fitness trackers and activity monitors. They are wearable devices that keep track of your physical activities throughout the day.
These devices help monitor the number of steps you take, heart rate, distance covered, and even sleep patterns. This information can help you stay motivated, set goals, and monitor your progress towards a healthier lifestyle. Fitness trackers and activity monitors include Fitbit Charge 5, Apple Watch Series 8, etc.
Similarly, meditation and mindfulness applications help improve mood and focus. While working, things can get intense and sometimes sour. These applications can help provide techniques for relaxation and reshaping focus. They are also beneficial for managing stress, improving sleep, and enhancing emotional well-being.
In addition to using applications to achieve meditation, tech professionals can also adopt yoga, a method for practising mindfulness and meditation.
Other tools that improve wellness include sleep-tracking applications. These applications are also types of wearable devices that help track sleep patterns. They offer personalized recommendations for improving sleep hygiene, such as creating a bedtime routine.
See link to find out more about wellness applications.
Conclusion
Maintaining a healthy work-life balance could be difficult due to tech's demanding nature. It requires consistency and determination to achieve it. In this article, you have learned:
The challenges of tech and health
Strategies for staying healthy
Technology as a tool for wellness
Adopting these strategies and tools will help organizations and individuals boost employees’ productivity and overall well-being.
I hope you enjoyed my article.