Modern Ways to Stay on Top of Your Health

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Building and maintaining an active, healthy lifestyle has been made more difficult by some technological advances. However, by altering what tech we use and how we use it, we can overcome the challenges of sedentary living, high-stress connections, and poor sleep habits.

Stay Connected

There are many web-based tools that can help you to share your data with your physician as well as with your other devices. Online grocery orders, placed right after a meal, mean that you are more likely to make good choices for your next delivery. If you’re using a Fitbit to remind you to exercise, you can connect it to your scale for a little more motivation.

You can also get data that sends your information right to the doctor’s office. Your blood pressure and blood sugar can be checked from nearly anywhere and that data sent for a daily check-in with a medical professional who can help you track your numbers. A simple photograph, uploaded to Triage, can help you get a second opinion or a skin diagnosis online.

Simplify Your Choices

We’ve all been to the grocery store when we were starving and left with a basket full of bad choices. You can avoid this by

• skipping the store altogether and picking up at curbside or having groceries delivered
• ordering early in the day before decision fatigue sets in
• avoiding unhealthy fats

Some fats are healthy and many are not harmful. Trans fats and saturated fats are the ones that should be either avoided or limited. By checking your grocery order for these products before you check out, you can reduce the dangerous foods that come into your house and simplify your food choices.

Use Your Timer and Alarm

Most every smartphone has a timer or an alarm. If you struggle to sleep well, use alarms to help you turn away from tech. One hour before your bedtime, set an alarm to help you dim the lights. If possible, get away from your computer or tablet. By reducing your exposure to electrically generated light, you can guide your brain toward sleep.

Timers can also be used to build a meditation practice. Meditation can help you to develop a habit of calming your body and mind quickly, and once you have the skill, you can employ it in stressful situations throughout the day. Doing it for several minutes at a time takes discipline and focus, and a timer will help you build that focus.

Rest Well

Good sleep hygiene is key to getting enough rest. In this area of your home, avoid tech. Put your charger as far away from the bedroom as you can safely manage. Of course, if you have loved ones that need to reach you at any hour of the day, you’ll want to adjust your settings so you’ll hear those notifications, but turn everything else either off or to low. Make your bedroom as cool and quiet as possible.

If sleep continues to be a problem, consider investing in a weighted blanket that will compress you, and reduce anxiety. Many people have poor sleep quality due to snoring. There are pillow inserts you can use that will vibrate when they detect snoring, so you reposition your head until you can breathe freely. Some of these also play music, if that helps you to rest.

Make Digital Connections

If your schedule or living situation doesn’t allow you to get a real pet, consider getting a virtual one. While many of these online tools are for children, there are more than a few adults who would love to visit the Dragon Cave and adopt an egg.

While this may seem silly, it is critical that we maintain connections during times of stress and isolation. Loneliness is extremely hard on your health. Even if you can’t connect with friends and family in person, do your best to connect virtually. Join online groups that reflect your interests, and try to find settings where you can help others with something you’ve already overcome. Often, it is in helping that we find the most hope.

Technology is simply a tool; you can use it to increase the complexity of your life or to simplify things. The choice is yours. Use it to make good choices and set directions for your daily activities that will strengthen and enhance your health.