Cyber Monday is a great opportunity to grab deals on your must-haves or Christmas presents without leaving the house. Especially since it’s our ONLY sale of the year. (STAY TUNED) 🙂
It’s all the money saving opportunities of Black Friday without the standing in line, running around the store or even…leaving the house. There are many benefits to participating in Cyber Monday…but there are also some downfalls.
If you’re searching for deals on Cyber Monday, you’re going to be spending a lot of time on your phone or computer. This is not great for your posture, your eyes, or your mental health. So let’s take a look at some ways you can take care of your body (so you can feel better and do more) while still grabbing those Cyber Monday deals!
Take Regular Breaks
Step away from the device! Whether you’re on a phone, a tablet, or a computer, you’re going to want to step away frequently to give your eyes, body, and brain a break.
To make sure you’re getting good breaks:
- Follow the 20-20-20 rule: Every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds. This can help reduce eye strain.
- Stand up, stretch, and walk around for a few minutes every hour. This will improve circulation and prevent limb stiffness.
Stay Hydrated
If you’re caught up in the excitement of hunting down the next deal, you might forget to drink water. And if you got up early to try and snag your favorite items, you might be drinking a lot of coffee. Between the coffee and the distractions, you’re probably going to get dehydrated.
Dehydration can lead to fatigue, lack of concentration, headaches, muscle cramps, and more! To avoid these maladies, make sure you’re drinking plenty of water. Tea is great, too, as long as it’s caffeine-free because caffeine actually dehydrates us. As a general rule, you might try drinking an additional 8 ounces (about 240 milliliters) of water for every cup of coffee you drink. This helps counteract the diuretic effect of caffeine, which can lead to increased urine production and potential dehydration.
Protect Your Eyes
The frequent breaks we mentioned above will also help with this, but you should also be protecting your eyes while you’re on your screen.
Staring at the screens of our devices too long can have the the following effects:
- Prolonged staring at screens can cause digital eye strain, characterized by symptoms like eye fatigue, dryness, blurry vision, and headaches.
- Screens emit blue light, which can interfere with the body's circadian rhythm, potentially disrupting sleep patterns. Blue light is also associated with digital eye strain.
- Staring at screens for extended periods can reduce the frequency of blinking, leading to dry eyes. This is because we tend to blink less when concentrating on digital devices.
- Constantly shifting focus between near and far objects on screens can lead to accommodative dysfunction. This can cause difficulty focusing on objects at varying distances and may result in blurred vision.
To counteract these effects definitely take those breaks we mentioned earlier but you can also use blue light filters on your devices, or consider wearing blue light-blocking glasses. You should adjust screen brightness and font size to reduce eye strain. There are settings on your phone that will automatically change the brightness depending on the time of day so you don’t have to worry about it.
Maintain Good Posture
If you’re sitting while you browse, make sure to be mindful of your posture. You want to practice sitting with your head over your heart and your heart over your pelvis. You’ll want to employ some of the same techniques as you would when sitting all day for work.
- Don’t cross your legs, keep your feet flat on the floor
- Keep your computer at eye level
- Don’t slouch (constantly check in and pull your shoulders down away from your ears)
- Sit in an ergonomic chair if you have one or make sure you have some lower back support
Get Up and Stretch
Make sure you’re getting up and moving like we mentioned in the breaks section but during these breaks you could also work in a little stretching to keep your muscles from cramping up.
These simple stretches can get your blood flowing and keep your energy levels up:
If you follow these simple tips, a day of browsing deals online won’t make your body feel like you’ve just run a marathon. When you’re done, you’ll be able to move on with your day and enjoy your purchases!
