Could 'text neck' be causing headaches? Here’s how to fix it

How often do you tend to use your smartphones? The digital nature of our lifestyle has changed the way we live our lives. Ever since the pandemic came into being, the use of different mobile and computer applications led to a new range of health problems. While these gadgets are useful to us, they can wreak havoc on your body and lead to neck pain and aches. Lifestyle factors like lack of exercise and a proper diet can also be blamed for these common problems.

Various studies suggest that people who spend more than 5 hours every day looking at their phones may experience serious text neck pain. Text neck can also cause muscle tightness at the base of the skull, which could lead to headaches. Also known as tech neck, text neck is a term used to define repetitive stress injury where excessive texting or mobile device use is believed to be the primary cause.

Exercise To Combat Text Neck

If you are also suffering from a text neck, here are some exercises that could help:

Exaggerated Nod

Begin with sitting or standing with your shoulders relaxed. Keep your mouth closed with your teeth touching and lookup. Stop and let your jaw relax. Now, open your mouth. Bring your head further and hold still. Now, bring your lower jaw to your upper jaw, closing your mouth. You should feel a stretch in front of your neck.

Cat-Cow Pose

Start in a tabletop position, with your shoulder over wrists and hips over knees. Balance your weight on all fours. Inhale expanding the belly toward the floor and exhale as you tuck in your chest and arch your spine toward the ceiling. Focus on releasing all the tension from the neck and shoulders. Do this pose for a minute or more depending on your capability.

Downward Facing Dog

Come on all fours with your wrists underneath the shoulders and knees underneath the hips. Exhale and lift your knees away from the floor. Now, lift your hips toward the ceiling and straighten your legs. Spread your fingers and ground down from the forearms into the fingertips. Let your head hang and move your shoulder blades away from your ears. Maintain the pose for a few minutes. Exhale and bend your knees to release and come back to your hands and knees.

Chin Tuck

Sit straight and look ahead with your ears directly above your shoulders. Now, draw your chin back, like you are making a double chin. You should feel a stretch in your neck. Now, elongate your head toward the ceiling. Keep your jaw relaxed and hold this position for 3 deep breaths. Release the chin and repeat.

Tips To Prevent Text Neck

• Raise your phone closer to eye level to avoid your head from tilting forward. It may seem awkward in the beginning, but you will get used to it.
• Take frequent breaks by setting automatic reminders from handheld devices.
• Practice good posture to avoid such problems. Pull your shoulder back, your body naturally aligned to your back and chin tucked in.
• Exercise or stretch regularly to avoid tech neck and handle stress that may be causing the problem.

Word of caution: Make sure you do these exercises properly as doing it wrong can cause issues.