Preventing Tech Fatigue and Digital Dementia In Your Family

Episode Transcription

Dr. Nicole:

Hi, everyone. Welcome to the show. I’m Dr. Nicole and on today’s episode, we’re going to talk about digital dementia. This is a term that may be somewhat new to you, but the idea of excessive screen time and electronic devices causing physical and mental health problems is a very real and growing concern.

Children are especially vulnerable when it comes to the negative impacts of excessive device use, and it can show up in all parts of their functioning. In their behavior, mood, learning, sleep, all of those areas. So we really need to have a better understanding of how screen time and device use is impacting our brain and body so that we can take steps to reduce the negative impacts.

And while we’re going to be talking specifically about children and teens today, all of this information, super applicable to everyone in the family because adults are using devices a lot more than probably we should be as well. So this is information that’s good for the whole family.

And to help us understand more about digital dementia and all of these issues, I’ve invited Dr. Krista Burns on the show today. Let me tell you a bit about her. Dr. Krista is the founder of the American Posture Institute, author of the textbook The Posture Principles, and TEDx speaker. Dr. Krista is leading the charge against digital dementia and has been featured on media including Fox News and Global Women Magazine. She’s going to help us understand what digital dementia is, how to know if it’s happening, and how to prevent and reverse its impacts. I’m super excited about this topic. Welcome to the show, Dr. Krista.

Dr. Krista Burns:

Thank you so much, Dr. Nicole. It’s great to be here and connect with you and, of course, all the parents who are listening in today. This is an important topic. I can’t wait to dive in.

Dr. Nicole:

It’s a big one. I mean, I think it’s been on all of our radars now for a while about, “Oh, yeah, device use is increasing. Oh, this probably isn’t great for kids.” But I’ll tell you, in the last year, there’s been some really significant research that has come out showing this is cause for alarm bells now, right? This isn’t just an idea that, “Oh, maybe we shouldn’t use our devices so much.” There are some very real concerns. So I’d love to start with just even defining this term “digital dementia” because I think it’s a catchy term. It gets your attention, and you go, “Oh, my gosh. Digital dementia, what is that?” So talk us through that.

Dr. Krista Burns:

What digital dementia really is, is it’s non-Alzheimer’s-specific dementia-like symptoms associated with the overstimulation of technology combined with poor lifestyle habits. Let’s pick that apart. That was pretty complex.

So it’s non-Alzheimer’s, meaning that it’s not due to changes in the genes or changes of the proteins within your brain. But if we look at the dementia definition on Alzheimers.org, what they’ll say about dementia is that it’s a combination symptoms. It’s not an actual disease. It’s a combination of symptoms associated with poor focus, lack of vision, poor memory recall, and inability to stay focused on tasks that then impact our daily lives. So if we look at that definition, it helps us understand a little bit more about what dementia really is.

And then if we start to look about how digital technology is then impacting our brain function, we start to ask ourselves, “Wow, am I experiencing brain fog? After I get off my device, do I have poor memory recall? Do I find it more difficult that I’m so distracted in this digital age that I sit down to do some work,” I’m talking to the parents here and then, of course, the children as well, that we sit down to do work and we get really distracted by our devices. And time goes by, and we honestly can’t remember what we’ve been doing for the last couple of hours.

And so these symptoms together are what’s called digital dementia. And so when we are sitting on our couch, for example, watching a YouTube video, the reason this is happening is we’re activating, overstimulating the back part of our brain. Now, the back part of our brain’s called the occipital lobe. And this is important because what the back part of our brain does is it takes incoming visual stimuli, and it makes sense of it. So if I’m watching a YouTube video or if I’m playing a video game, I’m really bombarded to the back part of my brain.

But what’s happening is it creates a disassociation because the back part of my brain is overstimulated, whereas the front part of my brain, for movement, for sensory stimulation in the parietal lobe, for movement in the frontal lobe, and for our ability to think at a humanistic level are all inhibited. And so our frontal lobe, which helps us plan and be motivated and language and reading and writing and learning, this part of our brain is inhibited.

And so we’re overstimulated in the back, we’re under-stimulated in the front because we’re not moving enough and we’re not thinking at a high level. We’re allowing our devices to do the thinking and thought processes for us. And so we’ll talk about today how we can look for some signs of tech fatigue that may be impacting you and your family and then, of course, some solutions of how we can prevent this from getting worse when we see those early-onset signs and have healthier tech boundaries.

And Dr. Nicole, one thing I really want your audience to hear today is that I’m not anti-tech. I don’t believe that we should get rid of technology. What I, and I know that you believe as well, is that we need to start finding healthier technology boundaries because this is the world that we live in, and we need to be empathetic to the new generation that they’ve been born into this. They didn’t even have a choice. This is the world that they’re in, right? And so if we can start having a conversation about healthier tech boundaries, we can have better behavior and also prevent a decline in brain function and physical function that we’ll talk about today posturally to help raise healthier families in the digital age.

Dr. Nicole:

Mm-hmm (affirmative), absolutely. And I think the use of that term “dementia” is so powerful because we often just associate that with something that happens in old age. Right? And what you’re spotlighting now is the symptoms of what we have long considered to be things that happen in old age are happening to younger and younger people now as a result of this constant bombardment from devices.

And on the one hand, that’s a really scary thing. On the other hand, it provides an opportunity, right, for us to understand what’s happening. And we talk about the dementia piece, and it reminds me of an important study, a large-scale study that came out fairly recently around ADHD diagnosis and children showing that for every hour of device use past the one hour a day mark, kids and teens are significantly more likely to be diagnosed with issues like ADHD, depression, anxiety.

So while we may think of the term “dementia” as being something for adults, these are diagnoses that have long been associated with kids that we’re seeing a significant increase in kids exhibiting, those symptoms of ADHD, difficulty focusing and attending, difficulty prioritizing and organizing themselves, as a function of increased device use. And so I think that it’s just really a call to action for us, as you said, to be aware of it and to take some steps to do something about it.

Dr. Krista Burns:

Yeah. And Dr. Nicole, if we talk specifically about ADHD, what we’re seeing with the brain function is that we have a decreased stimulation of the right brain. So, everybody who’s listening, you’ve probably already heard this before, classified yourself as being left-brain dominant or right-brain dominant. Now the reality is, is we use both sides of our brain all the time, every day, but we tend to see ourselves as being more analytical, which is our left side of our brain, and that’s very detailed oriented. And then maybe our artists, our musicians, we tend to be more right brain-oriented.

And what happens with ADHD, especially for our developing children, is that we have less right brain activation, which is our creative brain. And unfortunately, when we’re on our devices, this makes perfect sense with the study you were talking about, when we’re on our devices, we’re really stimulating that left brain. So if ADHD children already have a decrease in right brain stimulation, and we want to work that up, we’re actually depleting that by being on devices. And so now we’re overstimulating the left part of the brain.

I talked a minute ago about the sensory disassociation between the front and the back, but it’s also creating a difference in the hemisphere activation. And so just beyond that one hour per day, we’re seeing increased amount of symptoms with each hour of device use after that.

So I love that you shared that study because it makes so much sense that … And think about the opportunity cost, too, right? If we’re seated inside on our devices, what we’re not doing is we’re not outside in nature, playing, activating our right brain. Right? So we’re not being creative. Not only are we not stimulating our right brain, but we’re overstimulating the left part of the brain. So I love this research study, and I think it really brings it to the forefront by showing, wow, even beyond just one hour, especially because the average child is spending 7.5 hours per day on devices, this is alarming. We have to talk about it.

Dr. Nicole:

Yeah, absolutely. And then that’s one of the challenges I think. As you mentioned, kids now are being born into a world where device use is just a constant. And I often say, as parents, we’re the first generation of parents raising kids in this type of situation. We don’t have our parents to look to for a model of how to parent in this 24/7 connected digital age, and many of us are trying to figure it out for ourselves. And then we’re also trying to figure it out for our kids, so it’s a tough thing.

I want to talk about how to find that healthy balance and all of that, but let’s just dive in a little more to what you’re seeing as far as how overuse, devices and tech, how they’re really impacting kids. We’re talking about memory, we’re talking about ADHD symptoms, but let’s really drill down. What are some of the things that are happening with kids from a symptom standpoint as a result of this?

Dr. Krista Burns:

They’re more disconnected in a connected world than we’ve ever been before. Meaning that we’re connected with thousands of people on social media at our fingertips, but yet that face-to-face interaction has dropped dramatically. We’re seeing more social seclusion, we’re seeing more mental health and decline and depression and anxiety in children. I mean, honestly, should children be stressed out? The answer’s absolutely not. Children should be outside, excited, playing, using their imagination. The last thing they should be feeling is stress and anxiety, and yet we’re seeing this younger and younger each day.

And the research out there is just really alarming. The National Institute of Health in 2019, so we’re talking very, very recent, they just released initial findings from a study. They’re actually going to follow a generation of children for 10 years, which is exciting because we’ve never seen the full impact of technology because it is new to this generation. So we’re excited to see where this goes over the course of a decade, but initial research after the first couple of years of the study was showing that when children spend more than seven hours per day on devices, what they’re actually showing is decreased gray matter in their brain. Now, what that means is the brain is actually shrinking in children spending more than seven hours per day on their devices.

Now, if we look back from an evolutionary perspective, this is alarming. This is the first time this has happened in over three million years. It took three million years to evolve to where we are today with our human brain function, and a couple of decades of the internet start ruining it. And so these symptoms, if we see brain fog, if we see stress, if we see anxiety, if we see ADHD, inability to focus, if we see changes in behavior associated with device use, then these are these early-onset signs that we need to take action.

And a couple of other things, just to be aware of other studies out there. Another study showed that even just five minutes of device use is associated with a decline in memory. Five minutes.

Dr. Nicole:

Wow.

Dr. Krista Burns:

I mean, we’re talking … I know I use my device for five minutes and more every day, right?

Dr. Nicole:

Yeah.

Dr. Krista Burns:

I mean, when I read that one, that was really shocking. We’re also seeing that more than two hours per day is associated with lower scores with learning in the classroom and lower GPAs overall.

We all know, again, we don’t need to get rid of technology. We’re appreciative of the fact that we can connect in different states right now, we can connect with listeners around the world. We recognize our ability to use technology for good, but just like anything else … Just like sugar. Sugar tastes good, but it doesn’t mean that we should have too much sugar with breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We have to have moderation, and we have to have healthy boundaries. The same is true for our technology.

Dr. Nicole:

And I think it’s interesting when we think about kids and teens specifically … Because some parents might be listening, and they say, “Well, I can see where device use is an issue, but my child already had these diagnosable conditions.” And what I say about that is the kids who don’t have a genetic predisposition or don’t already have some of these kinds of conditions or issues can develop the symptoms of those things as a result of overuse of tech. But for kids who do have already a predisposition to these things or have already the brain differences that cause symptoms of ADHD or significant anxiety or whatever it may be, overuse of tech just worsens that.

Dr. Nicole:

I don’t want people to think about so much that, “Well, tech use causes all of these things,” but what we know is kids who don’t already have these underlying conditions can develop symptoms, but the kids who do already have these issues are even at a higher risk because it just takes their symptoms that they’re already struggling with, and it really magnifies them, right?

Dr. Krista Burns:

Yeah. And again, the opportunity cost. I love what you just mentioned. And in addition to that, it’s not just the technology’s fault. It’s what we’re not doing while we’re on technology. We’re not moving enough as a society. We’re completely sedentary. My background is in posture. Every time I look around, I’m frightened with what I see from the physical standpoints of our bodies. We are supposed to stand upright and navigate our world from here, and now we’re completely closed off with earphones. We’re hunched forward. I mean, you mentioned that … Exactly. This is the new normal. I didn’t say, “Ideal.” It’s the new normal, right?

Dr. Nicole:

Right. Right.

Dr. Krista Burns:

We’ve gone so far away from ideal. And so the opportunity cost. And then while we’re activating the back part of our brain, what tends to happen is we make worse decisions overall. It’s so much easier while sitting on the couch, watching a video on YouTube to then go grab a bag of chips instead of being outside, playing, running around, creating human connections, running inside for a healthy snack, then hydrating our bodies with water and green tea, the healthier options. So it’s not just technology’s fault, it’s also the opportunity cost of what we’re not doing while we’re sitting there sedentary in poor posture on technology.

So I want parents to hear that because, again, it’s not about your child getting rid of their device, but we got to make sure that if they’re on their devices for a couple of hours recreationally, they should also be outside a couple of hours recreationally, right? We have to create that balance and have those limiters.

And then here’s a cool thing, too, is when we supplement that time that we would normally spend on tech with other healthier behaviors, and they’re fun, we forget that we’re not on our technology, right? You don’t feel like you’re missing out when you’re outside and you’re playing and you’re taking a nice nature walk or you’re out for a run in the morning. You don’t wish you were on your technology if you’ve supplemented that time with a healthier behavior that feels good to your body.

Dr. Nicole:

I love that you talk about that opportunity cost. That’s such a great way to talk about that because it’s so true. It’s what we’re missing out on, what our kids are missing out on. Something that you were just talking about with the postural component of everybody walking around now hunched over, head down, face in the device. And from the mental health perspective, one of the things that we’ve known from the research for a while is that how we carry ourselves and how we use our body has a big impact on our mood, on our mental perception of things. And so really, just even from a mood and depression perspective, for kids and adults walking around or sitting all hunched over, it really is maybe what we would call a depressed posture, isn’t it?

Dr. Krista Burns:

I know. And you think about those words, Dr. Nicole, depressed and uplifted. That word “depressed,” you’re literally depressed, like gravity is pressing you down, and you close off. And this is the posture of depression. This is the posture of social seclusion, of feeling disconnected, and yet it’s also tech neck posture, the posture that we have while holding our cell phones. Versus the word “uplifted.” What do you feel when you’re uplifted? You feel upright, you’re looking around, you feel victorious, you feel open, you’re open to connection and possibility and movement.

So those two words, depression and uplifted, I mean, do we want to be depressed or do we want to be uplifted? The research is certainly there showing that when we have better posture, not only are we in a better mood, we have more energy, but in addition to that, it’s how we value our self-image and our body image, too.

So you think about, especially young women growing up in maybe junior high, high school, we want to be exuding confidence with our bodies, not feeling closed off because the more closed off that we are, the worse body image perception that we have. I mean, they’ve done research about self-leadership, and the only difference between the two control groups was one group was asked to write adjectives about themselves in poor posture, so they were hunched over writing adjectives about themselves. The other group was in great posture, and they were writing how they felt about themselves. And the group in poor posture was writing very negative things like, “I feel depressed. I feel angry. I feel sad.” And then this group with better posture was like, “I feel confident. I feel great. I feel happy. I feel like a leader.” And the only change was our posture.

Now, I know that there’s more to it when it comes to behavior. Absolutely. But we might as well use that to our advantage, right? If we can sit up straighter and feel greater, why not? And if we recognize that our devices naturally bring us into a closed, forward posture, then we have to be aware of this. That it’s not just the overstimulation of technology, it’s not just poor posture, but it’s also our behavior and our mental well-being as well. So let’s use posture to our advantage by sitting up straight.

Dr. Nicole:

Yeah, I love that. As you’re talking, it occurs to me that one of the ways … In the clinic, staff working in the office who don’t know clinically what’s going on with patients, right? They just see them come in and out of the waiting room and stop at the front desk. One of the ways that they start to notice like, “Wow, so-and-so is really doing a lot better,” is because they start to notice that they’re coming in for their appointments with their head up, with a more confident posture as opposed to when they first start treatment, especially the preteens and the teens who are really depressed and anxious, when they first come in, they’re just like this. They look at the ground, they don’t look at anyone, they’re closed off. And as they start to improve through treatment, they come in, their eyes are up, they’re greeting people. So it just occurs to me how much that just simple posture and physical change indicates a difference in what’s going on for a person internally in their mind. It’s so powerful.

Dr. Krista Burns:

It is powerful, and I love that you can see that clinically with your training. And I love also that parents can see that transformation, too, right?

Dr. Nicole:

Right. Right.

Dr. Krista Burns:

I mean, you can see it in your children. You can see when they’re closed off, their eyes are kind of bugging out because they’ve been on devices, they’re not motivated versus being upright, feeling energetic, feeling productive, feeling powerful, feeling confident about themselves. They exude not only a different posture but a whole different energy and behavior with that. So I love seeing that. And this is what we want for your children, so we’re so glad that you’re here listening to this conversation today.

Dr. Nicole:

Absolutely. Let’s dive into this whole issue of balance and trying to figure out how much tech is too much? What are the signs that we’ve gone overboard and now had too much? Let’s delve into that. What are your thoughts on that?

Dr. Krista Burns:

Yeah. There are three signs of tech fatigue that I want all parents who are listening today to check your children. Now, here’s what I want you to do, is after this conversation, I want you to be a detective. So don’t tell your child that you’re watching them. I just want you to observe for about a week. Just observe how they’re behaving with their technology and then start making some decisions about where you think they are with tech fatigue. Now, tech fatigue is a precursor to digital dementia. So what’s really good is if we see signs of tech fatigue, then we can start creating healthier boundaries now before it progresses and gets worse.

The first sign that I want you to look for is tech neck posture. So what that is, is when you’re looking down, the ears go forward in relation to the shoulders, and you have a closed-off posture staring at the device. Okay? The device is close to the body, and our head is dropped forward in this position.

Now, specifically from a musculoskeletal perspective, that posture, you can add up to 60 pounds of extra weight right here on your neck. I mean, imagine going to the gym and putting a barbell that was 60 pounds on your head, how painful that would be. That sustained posture from a musculoskeletal perspective, honestly, is creating tons of headaches, neck pain, and shoulder pain for a lot of patients just from a musculoskeletal perspective. So watch for tech neck, that’s sign number one.

Number two is spending more than two hours per day recreationally on devices. So just observe how much time, and I want you to be observant because here’s why. The research shows that when you ask somebody … Us adults, this was actually done with adults. When you ask adults how much time they’ve spent on tech, we tend to underestimate by 50%, Dr. Nicole. 50%.

Dr. Nicole:

I believe it.

Dr. Krista Burns:

So we need to be observant because when we ask somebody how much time they spend on tech, it tends to be very much underestimated. Okay? So number one, watch for tech neck posture. Number two, observe if they’re spending more than two hours per day recreationally on their devices.

And then number three is observe for behavior changes. This is The Better Behavior Show, so really tune into this. If you notice that, for example, you asked your child to put down their device and come to the dinner table. If they have a change of behavior where they’re angry or they’re upset or they don’t want to put down their device. Or maybe if they had to go a full day without their tech, like they left their device at home, for example, how do they feel? Do they feel withdrawal? Do they feel really stressed out? Do they have anxiety and a ton of FOMO without those devices? Or maybe you start to notice that they start acting in a fashion that you’re not familiar with, that they’re doing different things that they’ve learned on technology that you don’t necessarily agree with behaviorally. So watch for those changes in behavior.

So again, those three signs of tech fatigue are going to be tech neck posture, more than two hours per day recreationally on devices, and then changes in behavior directly associated with device use. So if we see these three signs, what I want you to do is take a couple of steps, which we’ll talk about here in a second, of how we can prevent this from progressing to digital dementia.

Dr. Nicole:

Mm-hmm (affirmative), yeah. Such great objective markers to look at because I think it’s hard as a parent to know “Gosh, are we heading down that path?” Or, “What’s going on with this?” When you said the more than two hours of recreational use, I think that’s a really helpful differentiator, the recreational use, because one of the challenges, and I know I even find this as a parent with my kids, they’re using tech and devices so much in school that it’s like, okay, well, they could come home and have used five hours worth of devices there. So differentiating and saying, “Of recreational use,” so things like games, apps, watching TV programs or movies, texting, all that kind of stuff.

Dr. Krista Burns:

Yeah. And the mindless scrolling, right? Where we’re just allowing the device to think for us and show us what it’s showing us. Versus, like you said with your children, if they’re doing a report, for example, and they’re investigating different things for their report that they’re about to prepare in school, this is active. They’re utilizing their brain to decipher information, and this is now a tool to help us be more successful, versus allowing the device to just think on our behalf, and we’re just kind of mindlessly scrolling and watching the device without really engaging our brains.

Dr. Nicole:

A tip that I have found really helpful both with my own children but professionally at the clinic, for a parent, if you’re not aware, most of these devices, if not all of them at this point, have some kind of app setting feature, something on them to help you track and look at this stuff. All of the Apple devices now with their new Screen Time features have a notification that comes up that says, “This is how much time you spent on this device in the last week.”

But as a parent, you can go in and not only set limits on things, which we’ll talk about, but also just become aware of how the device is being used. Because a lot of parents, I find there’s a big disconnect between what they think their kids are doing on devices and what kids are actually doing on devices. And so just know that there are these tools and there’s also third-party apps that you can put on devices that allow you to monitor and just be aware of what the device is being used for and how much time. It is often shocking for parents when they learn to go in there and look and they go, “Oh, my gosh, I had no idea that all these trips in the car and this and that were adding up to this much recreational device use every day.”

Dr. Krista Burns:

Such a great point. And I really, really appreciate the objectivity now with tracking that with the smartphone specifically. I mean, because again, we just underestimate. We don’t realize how much time … And you think about dementia, right? It’s one of those things where you kind of wake up and go, “Oh, what was I just doing?” That is what we are doing on devices. We have no idea objectively how much time we’re spending. So make sure that you activate that and check in on that weekly, so you can check yourselves, because let’s be honest, we all need to be role models. And then also checking out with your children and your family.

And you’re right, things like a car ride. I mean, say you take a four-hour vacation. I mean, that’s just four hours on the device right there. So that’s a really great point. These things tend to sneak up on us, and we don’t even realize that that’s a contributing factor, and it really adds up over time.

Dr. Nicole:

Yeah. Which is why I think that your suggestion of tracking your child’s mood and behavior in relation to device use is so important. For parents to step back and go, “Wait a second, this isn’t normal.” It may have become your new normal that your kid is angry and irritable and disrespectful and whatever all the time, but that should not be normal. And to take a step back and go, “How is that happening in relation to device use?”

I know with my own kids when they were younger, my husband and I would find that even 20 to 30 minutes on even a basic video game or something that was appropriate for a child that age, even after 20 to 30 minutes, they were grumpier, they were more hostile. It’s like, “Who is this kid?”

And so it really can have a pretty quick impact, and I think that we lose track of that. We forget who our kid really is and we just sort of get used to this pervasively irritable, sullen, grumpy, angry kid. But really, that’s not how most kids are under typical circumstances.

Dr. Krista Burns:

Right. And blame it on the teenage years, for example. And I just love that comment, because there’s a big difference between normal and ideal, right? I mean, we have to always strive for ideal, recognizing that this is the current norm, this is our baseline, and we’re working and striving for ideal.

And the thing is, is everybody who’s listening to our podcast today, you guys are the role models. You’re actually seeking out ways to help your children and your family. What you need to also be aware of is that other families may not have this knowledge that you do. And so when your children go play with other children, which is a good thing, I really highly encourage that face-to-face interaction, that playtime, but we have to recognize that you may have to have a conversation with the parents that if your children go over to somebody else’s house, just encourage like, “Listen, we’re trying to reduce the amount of screen time that we’re doing with our children. If you don’t mind having them playing outside versus being inside on those video games.”

So be that role model and, of course, have that conversation with other parents, especially within your friend group for your children, to help set them up for success. Because truly, normal is not ideal. And I want you all to strive for ideal and recognize that your normal can be improved regardless of where you’re at right now.

Dr. Nicole:

Love that. Let’s get into practical steps. You talked about, okay, here’s three objective ways you can see if tech fatigue is becoming a problem. So what are some practical steps that parents can take to help their kids with these things, knowing that we are raising kids in a digital age?

Dr. Krista Burns:

Yeah. We are raising children in the digital age. That’s the reality. So how can we have these healthier tech boundaries? Number one is called digital detox doses. Digital detox doses are three one-hour intervals throughout the day where the whole family is tech-free. Now, everybody’s committed to this. Everybody during these three one-hour intervals … And they’re not back to back. They’re divided up throughout the day. The whole family’s going to put their devices in a certain place within the house. For example, charge them in the kitchen or in a little basket by the front door. And during this time, this is specifically family time for connection.

My best recommendation for your three one-hour intervals is the first hour when you wake up in the morning. Our devices have already replaced our alarm clocks, our flashlights, our regular clocks, and they don’t need to be the first thing that we grab in the morning when we wake up. When you do this, you’re allowing other people to control your day because you’re checking in on social media, on email, on all these different avenues, your text messages, and now you’re feeling stressed out in a sympathetic state before you even get out of bed in the morning.

So instead of rolling over, grabbing your phone as an alarm, leave the phone outside. The first hour of your day you’re in control of. And again, think about the opportunity cost. If you spend an hour laying in bed checking social media, that’s an hour that you could’ve been connecting with your family over a nice cup of coffee or outside having a run or a walk before getting your day started. So start your day on your terms by being tech-free that first hour.

The second hour is an hour each night around the dinner table. As a child myself, we always had amazing dinners together as a family. We had great food. Instead of just having a TV dinner or just grabbing something quickly, we had nice healthy meals, and this is our time to connect as a family. Research has actually shown that children who spend this time around the dinner table each night actually have higher GPAs overall. So you know what, if we can help provide a nice, healthy family dinner each night, that’s helping the bottom line when it comes to grade point averages. So help your child have that advantage.

And then number three is the last hour before going to bed at night. Our devices emit what’s called blue light. Now, blue light in its natural state is wonderful. If you look outside, the sky is blue. And when the sky is blue, we’re naturally more alert and awake. This is natural for our normal sleep-wake cycles. Unfortunately, when we control the amount of electricity that we’re using, and we have this blue light coming out of our devices artificially, this close to our face, it’s too much blue light, and now it’s creating abnormalities with sleep-wake cycles resulting in poor melatonin production, meaning that we can’t sleep well at night. So your children are then staying up too late, the next day they feel fatigued.

So when it comes to digital detox doses, three one-hour intervals for the whole family is tech-free. Number two is movement in nature. We have to move, and we need to be in nature. I talked to you about how with the sensory disassociations that are happening in the brain. When you are moving, the front part of your brain is activated because our motor cortex is also in the same part of our brain that creates better behaviors and better thinking patterns. How cool is that? So when we’re moving, we’re actually better human beings. We’re thinking at a higher level. When we’re outside in nature on top of it, we’re igniting that right brain activation for better creativity. Especially if your children are showing any signs of ADHD signs and symptoms, we got to get them in that right brain of nice creativity, and we want to keep them moving so they make better decisions. Okay?

Research also shows that when we’re exercising, we’re creating gray matter, we’re creating more neural connections in the part of the brain for memory. So again, think about that opportunity cost. Staring at your device, creating less gray matter in the brain versus being outside, exercising, reinforcing those neural connections for better memory.

And number three is called a posture break. I asked you to watch for tech neck posture of your family. We can all perform posture breaks together. In fact, we’ll do it right here. I’ll just show you how to do it. What you’re going to do is you’re going to bring your hands out to the side, straighten your arms, press your chest forward, and drop your head back in this position. Now, as you’re doing this, what you’re going to feel is you’re going to feel a nice stretch across your arms and the front of your chest. And you’re going to feel a lot of weight lifted off of your shoulders and your neck by holding this position.

With a posture break, the reason we go in this anti-gravity position is because gravity is constantly pressing down on our bodies. We constantly go forward with flection. Especially when we grab our devices, we tend to go into a more flexor-dominant position. If we want to reverse this, we need to go anti-gravity. And so my best recommendation is to take 30 seconds every hour you’re on your devices and take a posture break.

What you’ll feel after this is, number one, you feel nice and stretched out like, “Wow, I feel like I can sit up straight,” or, “I feel better.”

Dr. Nicole:

It feels great, yeah.

Dr. Krista Burns:

Also, you’ll feel more productive, right? So when it comes to ways of preventing tech fatigue and preventing digital dementia, these are three solutions: digital detox doses, more movement in nature every day, and taking posture breaks for 30 seconds every hour you’re on your device. We all have 30 seconds to have better posture each day. So I hope these are small shifts that everybody who’s listening can make that will have a tremendous impact over time on your family’s health.

Dr. Nicole:

Love it. Such specific, practical things that all of us can do. If you’re listening and you’re like, “Oh, I don’t know about taking three one-hour breaks,” okay, start somewhere. Right? I mean, start with device-free meals, or start with taking that one-hour break before bed. Start somewhere and work up. And particularly, I would say if you have a kid who really is addicted to device use or is really … there’s a lot of power struggle around that, start smaller and work towards those three one-hour periods.

And I think, as you mentioned, that the modeling is so critical. Even if kids see us, as parents, as adults, putting our devices away for meals, taking a device-free hour before we head to bed, that modeling, what we do is so much more powerful than what we say. Right?

Dr. Krista Burns:

Yes. A hundred percent.

Dr. Nicole:

And so them seeing us doing these things, getting out in nature, taking our posture breaks … I love that posture break. Everybody can do that. And just doing it here, you feel so different. These are things everybody can do, and so I just love the practicality of these suggestions.

Dr. Krista Burns:

Yeah. And you know what? Let’s use tech to our advantage on this one. So what I want you guys to do is use tech alerts, so set alerts and reminders on your phone that are positive, that remind you to check your posture and take a posture break, that remind you to get outside and go run around and enjoy nature, that reminds you to have your digital detox doses. When an alarm goes off, it’s like, “Okay, everybody put your devices over right here. Let’s have tech-free for the next hour.”

So use technology to your advantage in these scenarios to start creating new habits because it really takes the new habit formation to make this normal within your family. We’re striving for ideal. If you have a current normal where you’re constantly on devices, we have to change it, and the best way to set yourself up for success is to have those reminders in place. So use tech to your advantage by setting reminders to have better healthy behaviors associated with your technology.

Dr. Nicole:

Love it. So great. Krista, such great info. I want to make sure that people know where they can go online to get more information about you and your work.

Dr. Krista Burns:

Absolutely. You can follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/americanpostureinstitute. And of course, follow me over on Instagram at dr.kristaburns.

Dr. Nicole:

Mm-hmm (affirmative). And the website is …

Dr. Krista Burns:

Americanpostureinstitute.com.

Dr. Nicole:

Fantastic. Such a wealth of resources and information that you have both on social media and your website. I definitely want to encourage listeners to head over there. Dr. Krista, can’t thank you enough for taking the time to be on the show with us today and sharing these really valuable pieces of information and strategies.

Dr. Krista Burns:

Dr. Nicole, thank you so much for the opportunity. And I just want to acknowledge everybody who’s listening in today because in the digital age, this is unchartered territory for parents just like you. So thank you for being here and listening to find new strategies for better behavior. And remember, when we reduce the glow of screens, we can bring back that beautiful glow of health for you and for your family.

Dr. Nicole:

Oh, love it. Fantastic. And thanks to all of you for listening to the show today. We’ll see you next time on The Better Behavior Show.