How to take care of your Health as a Developer

“ Research has linked sitting for long periods of time with a number of health concerns. They include obesity and a cluster of conditions — increased blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat around the waist, and unhealthy cholesterol levels — that make up metabolic syndrome. Too much sitting overall and prolonged periods of sitting also seem to increase the risk of death from cardiovascular disease and cancer. “ - Mayo Clinic

When you look at a screen, you blink a LOT less which leads to dry eyes, redness, and itching in the eyes. The normal rate of blinking is about 10-20 times per minute (it varies) but when we are focused on our screen, it comes down to about 2-8 blinks per minute.

Blink consciously every 3-5 seconds, in starting it may be difficult, but be consistent and make a habit. And don’t be ignorant, being mindful of yourself prevents most of the problems. (One more good habit is discussed in Common Solutions)

Also, keep your monitor approx. 30 degrees down from your eye level, you should be looking at the screen slightly downwards.

Keep in mind not to keep it too low as it will result in the neck being bent down a lot, which is again dangerous.

If the screen is above your eye level, more areas of your eyes will be exposed to air, leading to dryness in your eyes quickly.

Prevent any air from blowing directly on your eyes. Use Anti-Glare monitors and prevent any light from reflecting on your screen as it may make it difficult to read.

Blue Light! It comes from your screens but it doesn’t affect you in the day time, because there is a hell lot of blue light coming from the sky than your computer screen, but, studies have shown it blocks a hormone called melatonin that makes you sleepy, which leads to sleep problems.

And NO, you don’t need any kind of computer or blue light filter glasses whatsoever, don’t get into that trap, unless you are fond of making a habit of wearing glass or spending money unnecessarily. Devices nowadays have the feature to reduce blue light built-in.

Use the Blue Light filter or Night Light feature in your devices when it gets dark, and kindly stay away from screens for at least an hour or a half before sleeping for good quality sleep.

You can lower the brightness and use dark mode in dark to prevent eye strains.

Prevent using computers excessively at night or in dark.

“As a general goal, aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity every day. If you want to lose weight, maintain weight loss, or meet specific fitness goals, you may need to exercise more” - Mayo Clinic

“ Get at least 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity or 75 minutes per week of vigorous aerobic activity, or a combination of both preferably spread throughout the week. ” - Heart.org

The ideal workout duration can vary significantly depending on the person, their goals, their preferences, and the exercise type.

For weightlifting and bodyweight strength training, 45–60 minutes per session may suffice.

Meanwhile, cardiovascular and calisthenic training may be better if performed for 30–60 minutes. - Healthline