Living a life where technology gets the front seat, sometimes can come with certain repercussions. One of them may be physical issues like neck pain. Even though the condition might not be serious most of the time, neck pain can hinder your productivity, lose sleep, even lowering your quality of life in general. Therefore, you need to implement certain habits to prevent neck pain, which we will explain on this week's journal. Read on!

Fix your posture

Keeping a proper body posture is key to have lesser body aches, including back and neck pain. Nowadays, it is especially common for most people to spend most of their days in front of a computer. Therefore, when setting up your laptop or computer screen, arrange it on an angle that is comfortable and that you don't constantly have to look down or keep your neck on a certain position. It's also important to have proper peripherals to support your work, including ergonomic chair and desk. The right chair can help you maintain correct posture and avoid stiff neck. For example, chair with headrest can help hold your head back while looking towards the screen and prevent flexing your neck forward.

Limit gadget usage

Speaking about neck strain, a lot of gadget usage also contributes to upper back and neck problems. As most people are tied to their smartphones and tablets all day, it's best to take breaks every now and then so that your neck muscles won't get sore. This occurence is called text neck, a condition where you get muscle strains from looking down at your gadget screens too long. While this may seem like a non-serious matter, prolonged excessive use of smartphones and tablets may trigger increased stress on your joints, ligaments, and discs on your neck. This may cause further complications like injury and nerve problems around the head and shoulder area, as well as placing a strain on the entire spine.

Avoid having a sedentary lifestyle

In order to reverse the effects of using too much gadget and keep your neck and back healthy, it is important to always implement physical exercise in your daily routine. Research have shown performing stretches and exercises is effective in reducing neck strain and forward head posture. Exercises that specifically targets the neck and upper back muscles may help in preventing pain, as strengthening muscles on these areas may help support the weight of your head as well as minimizing strain. You can also do various exercises that focuses on lower back muscles, in order to support the integrity of your spine and overall posture.

Carry weight evenly

Another factor to pay attention to is when you carry a heavy items, like a bag or briefcase. Carrying them on one side may cause uneven weight distribution, likely may strain your neck and shoulders. You can avoid this by not carrying a lot of items in your bad, as well as opting to use a backpack that may help distribute weight across your shoulders.

Stay well hydrated

Consuming enough water everyday is beneficial to maintain your organs and other systems in the body, including nourishing and hydrating your spine discs. These discs made up of mostly water, and therefore staying hydrated can help maintain them to be flexible yet strong.