Ask the Expert: “I keep holding my breath when checking emails”

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Do you find yourself holding your breath when you check your emails? Or perhaps you find yourself working frantically through your tasks and realised that you have barely taken half a breath throughout the day. Well, you're not alone.

In 2007, former Apple and Microsoft executive Linda Stone realised something: whenever she opened her emails or sat in front of the screen, she was unconsciously either holding her breath or shallow breathing. As her awareness deepened in the following days, she realised that this pattern persisted.

She decided to conduct an informal study spanning seven months, monitoring the heart rate and breathing of friends, neighbours and family members as they check their emails. Additionally, she engaged in discussions with researchers, clinicians, psychologists, and neuroscientists to gain insights into the physiological effects of prolonged periods of shallow breathing and breath-holding.

Ultimately, she coined the term "email apnea", otherwise known as "screen apnea", and described her findings in the widely-read 2008 article in The Huffington Post.

In this edition of Ask the Expert, she addresses the significant impact of email apnea on our overall well-being, shedding light on its implications for both physical and mental health.

While sifting through a deluge of e-mails each morning, I often notice myself either holding my breath or taking shallow breaths. Initially, I thought it was a personal quirk, but I later discovered that several colleagues shared similar experiences. What could be the reason behind this phenomenon?

This is something called screen apnea, a term I coined in 2007. I was doing daily morning breathing exercises before work. After these exercises, I’d check my e-mails, and I’d notice that my breathing had completely changed! In front of the screen, my breathing became more shallow, or I’d be holding my breath.

As I observed myself and others, I could see that posture changes while sitting in front of a screen contributed to the problem. We are often more hunched over – arms forward, chest concave. The hunched-over position, common during screen use, can restrict the movement of the diaphragm and chest, making it more difficult to take deep breaths.

Also, whether or not we’re in front of a screen, when we anticipate or experience a moment of surprise (for example, when there’s a knock on the door), there is a natural reflex to inhale. After the surprise is over, we typically exhale as the tension or anticipation is released. However, when individuals are in front of a screen, particularly when dealing with e-mails or other digital tasks, there is a continuous stream of information that keeps them in a perpetual state of anticipation.

This constant anticipation can disrupt the natural rhythm of the breath, preventing the expected exhale. This observation led to the coining of the term “screen apnea”, also known as “e-mail apnea”.

Are there potential health implications of prolonged or chronic screen apnea? Our breathing regulates so many bodily functions and impacts our emotions. Shallow breathing and breath holding can contribute to a “fight or flight” state, higher anxiety, and stressful perseverative thinking.

Research conducted by Dr Margaret Chesney at the National Institute of Health (NIH) and NIH research scientist Dr David Anderson demonstrated that breath holding contributes significantly to stress-related diseases. The body becomes acidic, the kidneys begin to reabsorb sodium, and as the oxygen, carbon dioxide, and nitric oxide balance is undermined, our biochemistry is thrown off.

The triggered sympathetic nervous system causes our heart rate to increase, our sense of satiety to be compromised, and our bodies to anticipate and resource for the physical activity that typically accompanies a physical fight or flight response. However, in this context, this causes physiological changes that are mismatched with sedentary activities like responding to e-mails.

Are there strategies or techniques for mitigating the effects of screen apnea?

Be mindful of your breathing patterns. If you notice you’re holding your breath or breathing shallowly, take a few minutes to do a breathing technique like box breathing. Alternatively, try inhaling for four counts through the nose and exhaling for eight counts through the mouth, or inhale twice through the nose followed by a long exhale through the mouth.

Pay attention to your posture, especially when using a smartphone or working in front of a screen. Take short five to 10 minute breaks every hour to stroll and stretch. Incorporate movement into your routine – whether it’s walking, ballroom dancing, singing, or laughing – as these activities contribute to healthy body rhythms and breathing.

Lastly, try using Heartmath devices like Inner Balance and Emwave2. These devices support heart rate variability and nurture your nervous system.

An adviser for the Internet & American Life Project by the Pew Research Center, Linda Stone is a writer, speaker and consultant who coined the phrases continuous partial attention, email apnea, and screen apnea. Articles on her work have appeared in The New York Times and Harvard Business Review.