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- Feb 23, 2017
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Hi @everyone-
Here's a helpful post from our friend and author of the wonderful covid survival guide, Dr. Ron Sinha:
Dear Friends,
How we breathe during all aspects of our life is something that I'm trying to shed as much light on as possible. If you've been following me for any amount of time, you know I've highlighted breathing in my writings and my talks for years, but then the impact of Covid-19 on our lungs brought it even further to the forefront. One area I want each of you to pay attention to is how you breathe (or don't breathe) during any form of electronic work. Most of us restrict our breathing significantly while we read messages and media, and a significant percent of us actually stop breathing altogether when we compose messages on our screens, even if the messages are not stressful.
I thought of the phrase "e-apnea" to signify how we restrict or altogether stop breathing while we do electronic work. The term "apnea" means absence of breath, like in sleep apnea where individuals have episodes of breathlessness while they sleep. I went to Google where many of my original ideas all of a sudden become cliche and sure enough the phrase "e-mail apnea" was described in this write-up. The article mentions Linda Stone, a writer/researcher and former tech exec who observed that most people unconsciously hold their breath or restrict it while responding to email or texting. I've noticed the same tendency in myself and others, and have been very conscious about correcting this and making others aware of this tendency also. If you read my COVID-19 survival guide, you might recall how I highlight oxygen deprivation, even in subtle forms, as being a primary stressor to all our physiological systems (cardiovascular, nervous, immune, etc.).
I actually think this is an aspect of nighttime digital exposure that's often not discussed. There has been a lot of attention on blue light and mental activation as being sleep disruptors (which they are), but perhaps a core component of our bedtime stress is the way we breathe before our head hits the pillow. Reading stressful news media, answering those last few messages, and even watching an intense Netflix show or movie close to bedtime might alter our breathing in such a way that we can't fully transition into relaxation while we sleep.
This habit is a survival response we inherited from our ancestors. Any nocturnal threats would sculpt our ensuing sleep into a lighter and more vigilant version, so at any moment you could jump out of bed and grab your spear or run from danger. Nighttime is an extremely vulnerable period where even subtle stressors become potentially magnified. In our modern world, our nervous system cannot differentiate digital stressors (news media, e-mails, Netflix, etc.) from primitive ones (predators, enemies, storms, etc.), which is why we often wake during the night with disruptive thoughts and sometimes reach for our phones instead of our spears. Having that crucial window of at least 45-60 minutes before bedtime to breathe and release tension is so critical to optimizing sleep. If you use a sleep tracker that measures heart rate, you may notice a later drop in heart rate which is a sign of less restful sleep.
I have also found that family or social gatherings before bedtime help my sleep. Talking and laughing don't just allow us to socially connect, but also allow us to breathe deeper. We recently ordered a fire pit for our backyard so we can do more backyard hosting. I also look forward to using it as a way of unwinding after more stressful days since our ancestral traditions involved campfire gatherings before bedtime. I'd love for the last light my eyes see before bedtime to come from burning flames rather than the bright screen from my phone, and I hope to do that at least a couple times a week. If you don't have a firepit, consider candlelight exposure instead.
I also worry about our children today who are cooped up in their rooms for hours on end in front of screens, surely suffering from unprecedented amounts of e-apnea. So many missed opportunities for kids to play, socialize, laugh, and perform the normal rites of childhood that naturally facilitated normal breathing. When I sometimes "force" my kids out of their chairs to go outside and shoot baskets, I know I'm allowing their lungs to expand, their muscles to release, their minds to unwind, and I'm giving their precious eyes a break from staring at screens. They are starting to do this on their own, but until it becomes natural, I try my best to provide gentle reminders.
Do periodic breath checks on yourself and teach your loved ones to do the same while you are immersed in digital work. You can set a reminder on your phone or computer to do this until it becomes natural. Schedule opportunities to pull away from screens to breathe deeper, preferably outdoors. Make a deliberate effort to make your transition to sleep less activating and more relaxing. If you need biofeedback, really pay attention to your heart rate and try to get that down to your lowest level before you transition to bed. I often do some combination of breathing, meditation, and/or journaling to get me into my relaxation zone. We still have a long road ahead of us, so I truly hope that being more breath-conscious while implementing better breathing during digital work can be an effective tool for you to manage daily stress and improve sleep.
In Peace and Good Health,
Dr.Ron
Here's a helpful post from our friend and author of the wonderful covid survival guide, Dr. Ron Sinha:
Dear Friends,
How we breathe during all aspects of our life is something that I'm trying to shed as much light on as possible. If you've been following me for any amount of time, you know I've highlighted breathing in my writings and my talks for years, but then the impact of Covid-19 on our lungs brought it even further to the forefront. One area I want each of you to pay attention to is how you breathe (or don't breathe) during any form of electronic work. Most of us restrict our breathing significantly while we read messages and media, and a significant percent of us actually stop breathing altogether when we compose messages on our screens, even if the messages are not stressful.
I thought of the phrase "e-apnea" to signify how we restrict or altogether stop breathing while we do electronic work. The term "apnea" means absence of breath, like in sleep apnea where individuals have episodes of breathlessness while they sleep. I went to Google where many of my original ideas all of a sudden become cliche and sure enough the phrase "e-mail apnea" was described in this write-up. The article mentions Linda Stone, a writer/researcher and former tech exec who observed that most people unconsciously hold their breath or restrict it while responding to email or texting. I've noticed the same tendency in myself and others, and have been very conscious about correcting this and making others aware of this tendency also. If you read my COVID-19 survival guide, you might recall how I highlight oxygen deprivation, even in subtle forms, as being a primary stressor to all our physiological systems (cardiovascular, nervous, immune, etc.).
I actually think this is an aspect of nighttime digital exposure that's often not discussed. There has been a lot of attention on blue light and mental activation as being sleep disruptors (which they are), but perhaps a core component of our bedtime stress is the way we breathe before our head hits the pillow. Reading stressful news media, answering those last few messages, and even watching an intense Netflix show or movie close to bedtime might alter our breathing in such a way that we can't fully transition into relaxation while we sleep.
This habit is a survival response we inherited from our ancestors. Any nocturnal threats would sculpt our ensuing sleep into a lighter and more vigilant version, so at any moment you could jump out of bed and grab your spear or run from danger. Nighttime is an extremely vulnerable period where even subtle stressors become potentially magnified. In our modern world, our nervous system cannot differentiate digital stressors (news media, e-mails, Netflix, etc.) from primitive ones (predators, enemies, storms, etc.), which is why we often wake during the night with disruptive thoughts and sometimes reach for our phones instead of our spears. Having that crucial window of at least 45-60 minutes before bedtime to breathe and release tension is so critical to optimizing sleep. If you use a sleep tracker that measures heart rate, you may notice a later drop in heart rate which is a sign of less restful sleep.
I have also found that family or social gatherings before bedtime help my sleep. Talking and laughing don't just allow us to socially connect, but also allow us to breathe deeper. We recently ordered a fire pit for our backyard so we can do more backyard hosting. I also look forward to using it as a way of unwinding after more stressful days since our ancestral traditions involved campfire gatherings before bedtime. I'd love for the last light my eyes see before bedtime to come from burning flames rather than the bright screen from my phone, and I hope to do that at least a couple times a week. If you don't have a firepit, consider candlelight exposure instead.
I also worry about our children today who are cooped up in their rooms for hours on end in front of screens, surely suffering from unprecedented amounts of e-apnea. So many missed opportunities for kids to play, socialize, laugh, and perform the normal rites of childhood that naturally facilitated normal breathing. When I sometimes "force" my kids out of their chairs to go outside and shoot baskets, I know I'm allowing their lungs to expand, their muscles to release, their minds to unwind, and I'm giving their precious eyes a break from staring at screens. They are starting to do this on their own, but until it becomes natural, I try my best to provide gentle reminders.
Do periodic breath checks on yourself and teach your loved ones to do the same while you are immersed in digital work. You can set a reminder on your phone or computer to do this until it becomes natural. Schedule opportunities to pull away from screens to breathe deeper, preferably outdoors. Make a deliberate effort to make your transition to sleep less activating and more relaxing. If you need biofeedback, really pay attention to your heart rate and try to get that down to your lowest level before you transition to bed. I often do some combination of breathing, meditation, and/or journaling to get me into my relaxation zone. We still have a long road ahead of us, so I truly hope that being more breath-conscious while implementing better breathing during digital work can be an effective tool for you to manage daily stress and improve sleep.
In Peace and Good Health,
Dr.Ron
