If you spend a lot of time sitting on your computer or phone, odds are you’ve worried about the effect on your posture . You’re right to be concerned: It turns out that poor posture can have health consequences that are more far-reaching than many realize. “Often times when we think about posture we are focused on the way it makes us look.
.. [b]ut our posture has serious implications on both our physical and mental health,” Liza Egbogah , a trained chiropractor, osteopath and myofascial release expert, told HuffPost by email.
Egbogah is the clinic director of The Fix , a myofascial release and osteopathy clinic in Toronto. According to Egbogah, poor posture can not only result in headaches and pain in the neck, shoulders and back, but it can also lead to constipation, bloating and irritable bowel syndrome as a result of increased pressure on the digestive system. Bad posture can even impact your stress levels .
“Spending time in poor posture also causes your cortisol (stress hormone) levels to rise,” Egbogah said, “meaning you may be feeling more depressed or anxious when you’re slouched over. However when maintaining good posture ― where you’re standing tall with your shoulders back ― your body produces more endorphins which are the natural feel good chemicals in our body.” While spending excessive time sitting on our devices are common causes of posture problems, it’s not so easy to curb these habits given the demands of modern work and societal re.