Are migraines lurking for you like velociraptors in the tall grass? What should you do when you are a victim of massive headaches after just a few hours in front of the computer?
Headaches and screen time go hand in hand. It is the new pathology of the digital native. There are explanations for this: our new screen work practices and our new use of technology.
If you often have headaches and want effective solutions, we’ll give you a little boost to help you fix them.
Situations and conditions linked to screens
For several decades, digital technologies and the use of personal computers have revolutionized our daily lives. At work, we spend hours in front of a computer station.
At home, we continue to sit in front of a screen, whether it's a television, a tablet, a phone, a computer, or even a Kindle e-reader.
Insee stated a few years ago that in 30 years (from 1986 to 2016), the time spent by French people in front of a screen went from 2 hours and 47 minutes to almost 8 hours (not counting phone usage).
What does this change in our habits?
Time spent in front of a screen exposes us to health risks: musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) or eye conditions like computer vision syndrome, for example.
These risks are stimulated by new effects and/or behaviors to which our bodies are not necessarily accustomed, since they are not "natural." These include:
- the harmful impacts of superficial screen light
- long and inappropriate sitting postures
- various tensions on the lumbar and cervical muscles
- different screen work practices: more stressful, more sedentary.
Among the many symptoms that result from these ailments, there is one manifestation in particular that is unbearable to live with: the headache.
Screen-related migraine problems
Headaches are to our bodies what bugs are to the Cyberpunk game: unpleasant, recurring, and sometimes confusing. They can prove particularly debilitating if they are repeated and if they are very intense.
Just like back pain, headaches are common among "digital natives," as our Quebec friends would say. Indeed, by spending hours and hours in front of our computer screens, we (these natives) are more prone to these cerebral pains.
But… what is a headache exactly?
Headaches are common and benign symptoms in most cases. They are classified by degree of manifestation:
- Migraine : intense episodic headaches, sometimes with nausea. The attacks can last between 4 and 72 hours. Different factors can be at the root of them.
- Tension headache : a headache encompassing the entire surface of the skull. It is experienced as a tension of varying intensity in the head, reaching down to the neck, temples, and forehead. Its duration can be short or last up to several days. They are linked to stress or muscular and cervical problems – very often due to posture in front of the screen.
- Chronic headache : migraine or tension headache that occurs cyclically, for several weeks, at a regular rhythm.
- Cluster headache : episodes of intense pain behind the eyeball. The manifestations can last from 10 minutes to 3 hours and repeat throughout the same day.
Why do screens cause headaches?
Screens are like double agents; they make us believe they are on our side, but they also play against us. To tell the truth, they can be the source of many of our cranial pains and various headaches… but we can't blame them entirely… Why do screens give you a headache? We'll explain everything to you, dear headache padawan!
The issue of posture in front of the screen
If in a previous article we told you about the best accessories for your gaming setup, it’s because it mattered. A good gaming or work chair is essential when you spend time in front of your PC. And having good posture is even more important!
An inappropriate posture in front of the screen can cause musculoskeletal disorders: stiff neck, cervical pain, back pain, various tensions throughout the dorso-lumbar spine and the backbone.
As you know, our body is a complex network of nerves, muscles, and bones. If this network is solicited for too long – and in the wrong way – it triggers various reactions. Tension headaches and migraines are symptoms linked to these occupational diseases caused by bad sitting postures in front of the screen.
The case of eye strain
Headaches and eye strain are two old friends, like Bilbo and Gandalf, you see?
Sometimes it is vision problems that cause headaches, sometimes it is migraines that trigger vision problems. But here, what interests us is the problem linked to screens.
Did you know that all our screens are built using LEDs that produce strong blue light, which is harmful to our eyes?
The light from our tablets, smartphones, and computers produces an aggressive light wave that can alter the state of our pupils, but also tire our vision after long days of focusing in front of the screen.
This eye strain manifests itself in different ways: dry eyes, blurred vision, eyelid twitching, but also and more frequently headaches.
The case of ophthalmic migraines – what to do?
Ophthalmic migraine, also called migraine with "aura," is caused by a decrease in blood flow toward the eye, resulting from a narrowing of blood vessels. Symptoms last as long as the blood circulation has not returned to a normal level.
Well, put that way, it sounds scary… but it is relatively benign as a symptom.
Ophthalmic migraines can affect everyone: adults, teens, children, even Chuck Norris! This condition causes visual disturbances. It often occurs in people who spend too much time in front of a computer screen. But not only that!
We distinguish two types of migraines: those linked to a hereditary factor and those linked to an environmental factor.
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"Hereditary" migraines: they are unavoidable, and to treat them, especially if they are intense, you will need to consult a doctor.
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"Environmental" migraines: without genetic predisposition, it is possible to be prone to migraines (ophthalmic or otherwise) due to elements in our environment.
A diet that is too sugary or too fatty, stress, and a hectic lifestyle are factors that have been identified behind the manifestation of migraines.
The blue light from our screens is also responsible for migraines, in addition to accelerating other conditions (such as AMD or the alteration of our crystalline lens and retina).
Use in sunlight
There is nothing worse than using your screen in direct sunlight. In addition to the problems mentioned above, we add a layer of glare and UV rays. You must therefore be very careful if you already have headaches in normal times.
The best thing in your case is to avoid using your screens in the sun, but if you really have to, here is our complete guide to doing so safely: how to see your smartphone screen in the sun.
Solutions to avoid headaches
As you will have understood, headaches are a bit our fault: too much time in front of the screen, sitting poorly, light that is too strong, and so on.
So, to calm migraines caused by phones and computers, it is possible to adopt a few solutions.
Protective glasses
If the health bar of your headache regenerates thanks to the blue light of your phone or computer screen, the best anti-headache remedy will be a good pair of protective glasses. With anti-blue light lenses, you will tackle the problem directly at the source.
On our store, we offer you different models of glasses to protect you from the effects of this brightness so that your eyes are less tired and less damaged. Result: your brain will be as alive as Krang in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!
Visit the Horus-X store and our pairs of glasses for screens
Posture to adopt
We talked about it at the beginning of the article. It is essential to adopt the right posture when you are about to spend hours in front of the screen to find the last dungeon in Immortals Fenyx Rising.
To know how to sit – yes, yes, we are really telling you this! –, you will have to follow a few very specific methods.
And, as Napoleon said: a picture is worth a thousand words. So, a video is worth a thousand pictures, right? Well… a bit more, it will depend on your graphics card, eh!
So, here is an explanatory video to teach you how to sit properly...
Screen settings
More than 75% of the information received daily passes through our eyes. With the increased use of computers and other devices (phones, TVs, and tablets), assimilating information requires constant effort, especially when these mediums lack contrast, sharpness, and release high brightness.
To avoid the risks of digital eye strain, you must arm yourself with a few tips from the wise:
- Take regular breaks (every 2 hours or so)
- Avoid reflections on screens
- Lower the PC screen brightness and increase the font size if needed.
- Use brightness reduction software or apply an anti-blue light filter on your screen. Our explanations in our article.
A healthy lifestyle
A good diet can play a beneficial role in resolving regular migraines. To begin with, proper hydration keeps migraines away but also allows our entire body to run well… unless you are an android with printed circuits inside you, in that case, you should avoid it.
A body with a good diet also allows you to stay focused longer and feel less the effects of stress, drowsiness, and long hours in front of a screen.
Finally, and it is always worth remembering: sporting activity helps limit back problems and oxidative fatigue due to stress, so you will be less prone to muscular and mental fatigue in front of the screen.
Migraines and screens – knowing where to turn!
Screens are not our enemies, but you have to know how to tame them. With the various solutions that we have proposed to you, we hope that you will no longer experience the unpleasant mishap of the occasional or chronic migraine.
If your severe migraines persist – despite our wise advice –, it is best to consult your primary care physician for a more in-depth study of your headaches. This symptom, although very often harmless, can sometimes hide other conditions that will need to be monitored more closely.
But, if you think this pain is linked to your behavior in front of the screen, then you now have all the keys in hand to make this bad pain disappear.
Comments
Rien qu’en lisant votre journal cela m’a guérie des maux tête car ça m’a permis de faire une pause ! Merci beaucoup !
Super article, très bien rédigé (j’adore le petit trait d’humour) et clair, merci !
Super article, très bien écrit et vraiment utile
super article merci pour les conseils