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One such issue is tech neck. And not only with smartphones, even with laptops and computers, especially at work, the hunched posture is present. Tech neck is the common posture people have when using a phone, with the head and neck bent downward. Although this may feel instinctive, it can negatively impact major organs of the body, like the brain and heart.
HT Lifestyle reached out to a cardiologist and neurologist to understand the ramifications of the tech neck on health.
Dr Vivek Iyer, consultant- neurology at Institute of Neuroscience, SIMS Hospital, Chennai, told HT Lifestyle that if your neck is bent downwards, then it fogs up the brain. He cited a study from 2024, published in the International Journal of Physiotherapy and Research, where the findings showed that prolonged tech neck leads to cognitive fatigue.
Dr Iyer said, "The study found that when you tilt your head forward, your brain's ability to sense touch, movement, and position slips like trying to judge distance through a fogged window. If you've got tech neck, your brain has to push harder, even to handle simple tasks, which drains your focus, leaves you tired, and slows your reactions."
In other words, the brain feels disoriented and takes a longer time to process information.
Dr Iyer suggested these three things that you can do to relieve yourself from tech neck:
While the connection of tech neck to the brain may not be surprising, given brain and spine are a part of the central nervous system, the body, at the end of the day, is an interconnected system, and poor posture can have a ripple effect even on the heart.
Dr Shilpa S Menon, consultant cardiologist at SIMS Hospital, Chennai, shared with HT Lifestyle that the hunched posture increases the heart workload via the sympathetic nervous system.
She explained, "Sitting hunched over working on your phone or laptop can lead to increased sympathetic nervous system activation, which can result in a baseline increase in resting heart rate, blood pressure, and thus putting a strain on your heart." The cardiovascular risks are, anyway, higher with long hours of sitting.
To rectify it, the cardiologist recommended taking short walks around the office, climbing stairs before sitting down or intermittent stretching. Along with this, she also recommended stress management, sufficient sleep and eating nutritious foods.