(Image source from: Do you have E-mail Apnea? })

Do you hold back your breath every time you check your mail inbox or Blackberry? If yes, then you could be suffering from a queer condition called e-mail apnea. Before you hit the panic button, know that almost 80 per cent of us are a victim of e-mail apnea.

Largely defined as “a temporary cessation of breath or shallow breathing while doing anything in front of a screen,”  the term 'e-mail apnea' coined by former Apple executive, Linda Stone. According to her, it's a physical condition when the body automatically switched to ‘fight or flight’ mode during typing a mail or doing anything on a computer.

Holding breath or shallow breathing and hyperventilating triggers sympathetic nervous system or SNS that causes pupils and blood vessels in your face to dilate, palpitations to increase and excessive restlessness and sweating. SNS is meant to signal the body of a physical danger. But in the comfort of an office, the sudden unwarranted reaction can cause undue stress to both body and mind.

Ms Stone has found a way to stave off email apnea and that includes monitoring breathing, trying to be better aware of anxious feelings and even using a heart-rate monitor.

‘In the meantime, why not breathe while doing email? Awareness is the first step toward wiping out email apnoea,’ she affirms.

AW: Suchorita Dutta Choudhury