Millennials born between 1980 and 2000 are known for their healthy, active lifestyles and diets. When it comes to wellness and fitness, millenials are paving the way for holistic and healthy products, foods, and ideas. While it may seem that millennials have youth and a propensity for healthy habits on their side, this generation faces a number of health issues. Here are 5 health issues on the rise for millenials.
Hearing Loss
If you’re familiar with the term “Generation Deaf”, you’re aware that there are conflicting theories concerning whether or not Millenials are experiencing hearing loss sooner than their parents’ generation. The one major difference between millennials and their parents when it comes to hearing loss, is that millenials spend a lot of time with headphones and earbuds. The millennial lifestyle is filled with blaring podcasts, music, and phone calls all through earbuds.
Jackie L. Clark, PhD, President of the American Academy of Audiology says, “Currently, there is wonderful debate about whether the younger generation is being exposed to noise levels through personal listening devices in excess to what the previous generation did…There have been a handful of studies that have provided contradictory results about whether the younger generation is experiencing more hearing loss than prior generations.”
The research thus far has been inconclusive when it comes to the correlation between earbuds and hearing loss, however Clark highly recommends being cautious when using headphones. If you spend a lot of time using your headphones, take note if you start to notice signs of hearing loss. Speak to your doctor early on so that you can come up with a plan to fix it or prevent further damage.
Eye Strain
Optometrist Dr. Jennifer Lyerly warns that prolonged time spent staring at screens is leading to tired, hurting, strained eyes.
Dr. Lyerly explains, “When it comes to defining digital eye strain, think of the eyes like any muscle — with constant use or overuse, they can fatigue, too…You have six muscles that move each eye, and one muscle that focuses it. Studies show 68 percent of millennials experience digital eye strain, with symptoms ranging from headaches, to pain behind the eyes, sensitivity to light, and even a feeling of generalized fatigue.” If you’re suffering from eye strain, Dr. Lyerly reminds us to use features like night mode on Twitter and taking frequent breaks away from screens.
Neck Pain
Despite the fact that we’re regularly bombarded with articles warning us about the dangers of sitting, we’re still spending a minimum of 40 hours a week sitting behind a desk. If you have a desk job, it’s important to pay attention to what your body is telling you.
Dr. Snell says, “What we’re seeing is a lot of neck pain, because when you’re sitting, looking at your computer screen all day long, you’re not getting up and moving and you’re not giving yourself the opportunity to recover from that same position…If anybody sat in the same position for an extended period of time, we’d start to hurt.”
According to Dr. Snell, “These sorts of joint concerns that we would normally see in a much older person, we’re seeing in younger people due to the sedentary lifestyle that a lot of younger folks have by nature of their work … and it’s causing a lot of physical pain,” Neck pain is becoming more and more common due to the way that people are sitting at their desks, staring at computers for hours at a time. Dr. Snell recommends doing office yoga, or getting up to walk around every hour.
Sensitivity To Light
Not only is prolonged computer use leading to eye strain – it’s also contributing to an increase in light sensitivity. According to Dr. Lyerly, “In the past 10 years our dependence on digital devices has grown.” She continues, “Exposure to harmful blue light and overuse of devices is especially problematic in young children. As we age, the lens in our eye slowly yellows. The yellow pigment filters out blue light and our overall level of exposure is less. Young children have an incredibly clear lens which means more blue light enters the visual system. With children interacting with technology much earlier than our parents, these vision conditions are apt to occur earlier and require protection early on.”
Lyerly explains, “Nearly two in five millennials spend more than nine hours a day using digital devices and nearly 90 percent of Americans as a whole use digital devices for two or more hours each day,” Dr. Lyerly says. “This is an extremely large amount of time in front of a screen and something our parents didn’t have to worry about in their twenties and thirties.”
Simply put, sustained exposure to screens weakens our eyes. The best way to combat light sensitivity is to reduce the amount of time you spend staring at a screen. If you have to spend a lot of time looking at a screen, it may be a wise investment to look into blue light glasses. If you’re still experiencing light sensitivity, speak to your doctor about ways that you can protect your eyes.
Anxiety and Depression
Millenials are facing serious mental health issues that go beyond FOMO and work-life balance. Millenials are the most technologically advanced generation, with the world at their fingertips. It’s no surprise that with greater accessibility and exposure, millenials are faced with feeling connected and disconnected to each other simultaneously.
Joshua Klapow, Ph.D. Clinical Psychologist and Host of The Web Radio show believes that the average millenial is facing extreme stressors that their parents generations did not have to face. While their parents generations were also struggling with issues such as financial and economical instability, divorce, family, violence and trauma, their parents didn’t have the onslaught of technology, information and knowledge that has created an increase in stress, anxiety and depression.
Dr. Jean Twenge, a social psychologist at San Diego State University who wrote Generation Me: Why Today’s Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled—and More Miserable Than Ever Before has researched the growing issues of anxiety and depression among millenials. She states, “I think the research tells us that modern life is not good for mental health.”
Dr. Twenge believes that this rise in depression and anxiety stems from the fact that, “modern life doesn’t give us as many opportunities to spend time with people and connect with them, at least in person, compared to, say, 80 years ago or 100 years ago. Families are smaller, the divorce rate is higher, people get married much later in life.” Twenge acknowledges that these changes are mostly positive because they reflect societal advancement, autonomy and independence for women, however she also acknowledges that, “the potential tradeoff for our equality and freedom is more anxiety and depression because we’re more isolated.”
Based on various surveys where millenials were asked about their values and goals, Dr. Twenge explains, “There’s clear evidence that the focus on money, fame, and image has gone up…and there’s also clear evidence that people who focus on money, fame, and image are more likely to be depressed and anxious.”
Fortunately, the anxious generation are taking action when it comes to their mental health. Dr. Klapow states, “Stigma is still a problem — and for young millennials it may be a stigma that stems from parents regarding mental health. Downplaying by parents and society (i.e. millennials are complainers, lazy, weak) is one of the biggest mistakes and disservices we can do for this generation.”
Technology may be a huge factor in the rise of mental health issues for millennials, but it’s also a resourceful tool that has helped them become aware and strong! If you’re experiencing anxiety and depression, reach out to your doctor to seek treatment.
