Laptop computers. We all have them. We all love them because of their size and their portability. But new research shows these key features may lead to health problems.
“With laptops, everything is condensed,” said Dr. Wesley Kluck, university physician and vice president for institutional advancement. He said the small size of the computers can lead to a host of problems. Because they are so small, users are more likely to use them away from a desk, causing the user to hunch forward into a more comfortable working position.
“Your upper trunk is manipulated,” Kluck said. “Your head and neck are leaning in, which can cause muscle strain.”
As a solution for this problem, Molly Wallace, health services director, recommended students get a laptop stand or place the computer at a higher level, such as on a desk, to avoid hunching over. Kluck said students can roll their shoulders, neck and head around to provide some tension relief.
Another problem of laptops is the keyboards often provide little wrist support and cause the hands to be in a narrowed, unnatural position. Wallace said a wireless keyboard and mouse can help this. Taking frequent breaks when typing for long periods of time can also help.
Kluck said laptop screens are many times dusty and littered with everything from drink splatters to greasy fingerprints, causing blurs and glares on the screen, which can lead to eye strain. Frequently cleaning the screen can help solve this problem. “Another thing is direct sunlight,” he said. “That also causes glare and eye strain. The gazebo may be a neat place to take your laptop to and do homework in, but it would be better to find a shady place.”
He said another side effect of heavy laptop use is male infertility.
“The male reproductive organs are outside of the body so they will stay cooler,” he said. “Putting a laptop on your lap increases the heat in that area. “I guess it’s a new form of birth control, which in college may be a good thing.”
Wallace said the most important tip to preventing permanent health effects from heavy laptop use is taking frequent breaks.
“I would say students should take breaks every 20 minutes or so,” she said. “But that’s with using any computer, not just laptops.”
Wallace said she has not had any students with aches and pains come to the health services office specifically blaming heavy laptop use, but she does ask students who do complain of cramps and the like about their computer habits.
Kluck said it is important for students to begin making a habit of using laptops and computers correctly now.
“When you’re young, healthy and in college, you don’t necessarily think about the effects of what you’re doing,” he said. “But when you get older and start having problems, you’re going to wish you would have.”
