Our Smart Phone World

Smart phones, tablets, GPS systems, etc in many respects have made our lives easier. At the touch of a button we can share instantaneously and we can get our work done on the go.  Arguably our “smart” world allow us incredible freedom while travelling or spending time with family to stay connected with work, never missing a beat.

On the flip side, do these devices hinder our health? We have gotten used to our instant world and the expectation is that we respond immediately to incoming emails, never really giving ourselves a true day off.  The last thing we do before bed is check our email and it is the first thing we do in the morning. In the past, I admit to being guilty of checking my blackberry middle of the night or jumping on my ipad to play words with friends at all hours.

More and more in my business, I am coming across families who have rules around the use of devices and wifi usage in their homes. Some homes are “screen” free except for family movie night on weekends. If the opportunity allows many families are choosing to hard wire their homes, fearing the electromagnetic waves from wifi. In my own home, we have taken a few steps to mitigate the short term and long term health implications of being too connected. My blackberry never comes to “bed” with me anymore. The emails and the electromagnetic radiation spend the night together in my home office. If I am at home or at the office, I return calls on a land line.  But, the biggest change in the Verde household is no wifi after midnight- shutting down the router.

I came across this article over the weekend an it highlights some great tips if you are looking to cut down your usage. Read Full Article Here

Here are some of the simplest ideas:

Reduce Your Cell Phone Use
Use Your Cell Phone Only Where Reception is Good 
Avoid Carrying Your Phone on Your Body

It doesn’t matter in your health concerns are in the here and now – ie getting a good nights sleep or more long term like protection from potential harmful radiation. Our smart world is here to stay, we just need to be a little smarter about how and when we use our devices.