As board exams begin from today, students studying for long hours often develop neck pain, headaches, and poor concentration due to poor posture and prolonged screen use. Forward head tilt increases strain on the cervical spine, affecting blood flow and nerve function. This can trigger fatigue, stress, and reduced focus. Simple posture correction, breaks, stretches, and sleep can help.
Board exams are here, and the students of classes 10 and 12 are now spending all their time studying and cramming all day and night to complete their syllabus and do last-minute revisions. To test their knowledge and endurance, many of the students race against time, spending long hours studying by bending over the desk or staring at the screen, leading to physical strain, especially on the neck.
“Many students also experience headaches, stiffness in the back and difficulty in concentrating during the exams without realising that their posture may be the real reason for these issues, said Dr Prasad Dakshinamoorthy, Consultant, Orthopaedics, SRM Global Hospitals. According to experts, a few common symptoms include persistent neck stiffness, frequent tension headaches, pain radiating to the shoulders, eye strain, dizziness, and sometimes tingling or numbness in the arms due to nerve irritation.
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An average human head weighs around 4 to 5 kilograms when held upright. However, when you tilt forward at a 30 to 60-degree angle, common for reading and mobile use, there is an increase in the effective pressure on the cervical spine. This repeated forward head posture, commonly referred to as the “text Neck”, places sustained stress on muscles, Ligaments, and spinal discs,” said Dr. Dakshinamoorthy.
The role of the cervical spine is more than supporting the head; it maintains the nerve function and adequate blood supply to the brain. “When the students maintain poor posture for a long time, muscle fatigue and inflammation can trigger tension headaches, and it can also reduce mental sharpness,” he added.
Students spend long hours studying by bending over the desk or staring at the screen, leading to physical strain
According to experts, the link between neck pain and poor concentration is not accidental. Tight neck and muscles reduce proper blood flow, which irritates nearby nerves. This often results in dull and continuous headaches. At the same time, the brain constantly processes the pain signals, subconsciously. “These signals activate stress pathways, elevating cortisol levels and reducing the working memory capacity and attention span,” said Dr. Dakshinamoorthy.
Pain also triggers the body’s stress response. When your body is under physical strain, stress hormones increase, affecting your memory, mood, and attention span. As a result, students also feel extremely tired and fatigued, distracted, or mentally slow despite studying for many hours.
Screen time can make the situation even worse as laptops and phones encourage slouching. Blue light exposure disturbs the sleeping pattern, and poor sleep reduces both muscle recovery and concentration, thereby creating a cycle of pain, distress, fatigue, and poor academic performance.
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