Sheila Magazine

sheila I feature the sleep onset process. If you feel that these activities are alerting or causing you anxiety, try doing something more passive to help you wind down before bed," he says. On the surface, lack of sleep can seem like a fairly benign threat to health. But more evidence is stacking up to the contrary. M much more serious health conditions such as heart disease, heart attacks, heart failure, high blood pressure, stroke and diabetes. In the Whitehall II Study, British researchers looked at how sleep patterns affected the mortality of more than 10,000 British civil servants over two decades. The results, published in 2007, showed that those who had cut their sleep from seven to five hours or fewer a night nearly doubled their risk of death from all causes. In particular, ore health leaders are listing chronic sleep deprivation as a predisposing factor for lack of sleep doubled the risk of death from cardiovascular disease. Not as serious, but nonetheless concerning, is the fact that lack of sleep can induce weight gain, premature ageing of the skin, depression and forgetfulness. Excessive computer usage, even if it does not impact on sleep, is a serious and growing problem in itself. Research has also shown that people who are excessive computer users tend to isolate themselves from the rest of the world. This causes severe loneliness followed by depression. Problems are also emerging around psychological welbeing and the use of social networking sites such as facebook. The problem is that carefully- chosen happy snaps and the reporting of isolated "euphoric" incidents in people's lives through social networking can make it appear to some users that everyone else has a much happier life than they do. skeletal symptoms and repetitive strain injuries (RSI). Also, more common than ever before is computer-vision syndrome. Studies show that this type of eyestrain comes from long periods of staring at computers and is far more common than RSI. A dditionally, GPs are reporting a higher incidence of patients with musculo- Symptoms include burning, aching or tired eyes, dry eyes, difficulty focusing, double vision, blurred vision, sensitivity to light, headaches and neck and shoulder pain. Thankfully, awareness of the possible threats of computer overuse is the biggest step toward managing the problem. Limiting screen time before bed, ensuring you take adequate breaks from staring at a computer screen and making sure you don't substitute screen time for physical activity are all good protective mechanisms. BLURRED LINES work-life balance undefined l David Glance, of the Centre for Software Practice at the University of Western Australia, says lines between our work and personal lives are becoming blurred with more workers than ever before checking 36 SHEILA MARCH 2012 emails in the evening. l Mr Glance says by use of social networks. l He says social networks have blurred the distinctions between different types of friends, far the most dominant activity online is the acquaintances, work colleagues, work contacts and organisations. l Socialising work is not just about self- promotion, it also builds contacts and collaborations, and allows people to receive input from a diverse global network, he says. Social networks are redifining interactions in our private, public and work lives, whether organisations or governments like it or not. S

• Cover