The Digital Detox

Ever heard of a “digital detox”? The idea is simple: you give up phones, tablets, laptops, all your digital devices for a set amount of time. A few hours in the evening once a week right up to whole two week blocks, or more.

But why? A lot of people find that their preoccupation with social media or mobile gaming, for instance, makes them less productive and easily distracted when they would rather be focussing on important work or spending quality time with family and friends.

Picking up our phone to check the weather, news, Facebook or the like has become second nature so much that sometimes we hardly even notice we have zoned out of conversations or stopped working entirely for the past ten minutes.

There are also health concerns. In children and young people too much use of phones or tablets can lead to social and developmental disorders. The electromagnetic frequencies wireless devices use have been linked to male infertility in many studies worldwide. Plus the blue light emitted from their screens could be keeping you up at night leading to sleep disorders and more side effects like stress, obesity, diabetes and heart conditions.

It doesn’t have to be a full-on month-long detox. While there are detox programs offered away from home, holidays and digital free hotels, you can detox for as long as you like. Even for as long as it takes to watch a film on the TV might be a start if you find yourself fidgeting after more than ten minutes without checking your phone.

At night a detox might be even more beneficial as the blue light from screens tricks the body into thinking it is still daytime and that it should be awake. This can disrupt the circadian rhythm and cause sleep deprivation. You might think you are relaxing and lulling yourself to sleep while reading the news but your body is getting the opposite message.

On the other hand, staying connected isn’t all bad. Our digital devices can make us more informed, help us keep in touch or keep safe and keep us entertained. Being able to look up any fact in a few taps or video chat with family on the other side of the world has improved our lives.

Fortunately you can get the best of both worlds with WaveWall. The anti-radiation phone case blocks 85% of electromagnetic radiation from entering the body and WaveWall Sleep anti-blue light screen protectors stop your phone from disrupting your sleep.

Could you go on a digital detox? What would you miss most about your phone?

Share your thoughts in the comment section below!