Studying Online;Succeeding through Distance Learning at University

SITTING AT YOUR COMPUTER 
Sitting at your computer for several hours is not good for your 
body. Your muscles become stif, and they ache. Being seden-
tary can also lead to tiredness, circulatory problems, and an in-
crease in your chance of getting diabetes (Park et al., 2020). It 
can even reduce the level of your sex hormones, increase the 
chances of depression, and cause “cognitive impairment”, the 
inability to think straight. According to the World Health Or-
ganization, being sedentary is a leading “killer” and causes two 
million deaths a year (World Health Organization, 2002). If you 
spend three years studying online, not moving much beyond 
the computer, you are sowing the seeds of trouble for your fu-
ture health. 
QUICK TIP: Take regular breaks from your computer. Get up 
and move about. 
Research has shown that discomfort in students is associated with 
the length of time they are using their computers (Osama, Ali, and 
Malik, 2018). According to the Health and Safety Executive, it is 

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212 Coping online 
better to have a fve- to ten-minute break every hour than longer 
breaks after a couple of hours (Health and Safety Executive, n.d.). 
Tere are several advantages to taking frequent breaks. Not only 
will your muscles get a chance to move, relax, and reduce tension, 
but there are other benefts of taking frequent breaks. Studies 
have shown that regular breaks from working at a computer can: 
y
Improve your ability to concentrate 
y
Help your memory 
y
Enable you to be more focused 
y
Make you more creative 
y
Raise motivation 
y
Increase productivity 
y
Have a positive efect on your body’s chemistry. 
Far from disturbing your work, frequent breaks make signifcant 
improvements. Furthermore, regular breaks reduce your level of 
tiredness (Pragier, 1986). Sitting still at your computer for hours at 
a time should be avoided. If you were to use the Pomodoro Tech-
nique® discussed in Chapter 10, you could ensure you took a break 
after each 25-minute study period.