Digital devices disrupt sleep / Syda Productions/shutterstock
Digital detox sessions are becoming increasingly popular in spas as people put away their electronic gadgets for a couple of hours, or even a couple of days, in order to truly embrace ‘me time’. Mandarin Oriental was one of the first operators to introduce ‘digital detoxing’ in 2016 and now Jeremy McCarthy, the group’s director of spa and wellness, has collaborated with figures in medicine, hospitality, economics and technology on a white paper highlighting the “substantial” impact that technology has on our lives. Wellness in the Age of the Smartphone, published by the Global Wellness Institute’s Digital Wellness Initiative in May, is a 32-page report summarising current research focusing on the effect technology has on sleep, obesity, mental health, relationships, personal safety and workplace productivity.
Disrupting sleep “Adults are expected to get eight hours of sleep per night, yet the distraction of new technology may be preventing us from meeting this target,” the report says, adding that up to 60 per cent of adults experience sleep problems.
The blue-light emitting screens on digital devices mimic natural sunlight, keeping us feeling more alert and suppressing the release of sleep hormones. “Using devices in the bedroom or during the hour or two before sleep makes it difficult for us to fall asleep.” Our quality of sleep is profoundly affected too, resulting in ‘junk sleep’ which is neither long enough nor of a high enough quality for the brain to feel rested.
Mental wellness According to the report there are rising rates of depression and anxiety in the UK, with a third of teenage women reporting symptoms. “The cause is not clear but rising rates seem to coincide with the growth of social media,” it says. In extreme cases, teens who spend five or more hours a day online are 71 per cent more likely to have at least one suicide risk factor.
Screen time and TV viewing also has negative associations with childhood cognitive development and is linked to inattentiveness, internalisation of problems and lower self-esteem.
“But the biggest challenges to mental wellness appear to come, not from technology itself, but from the added pressures and pace of life in the digital age,” the report finds. The lines between personal and professional lives are blurred, we’re never too far from our devices and social media can make us feel insecure.
As McCarthy told Spa Business at the launch of Mandarin Oriental’s Digital Detox programmes: “Technology has brought us many great advances, but the expectations for instant communication and the increasing pace of change in the world can have a negative impact on our wellbeing... The spa is one of the few places left in modern society where it is acceptable and even encouraged to disconnect from technology.”
Promotional feature: Terres d’Afrique - Out of Africa
Luxury ethical spa brand Terres d’Afrique has seen rapid expansion in its first years of business. CEO and co-founder Stephan Helary explains how the company has now transitioned to creating bespoke spa experiences from concept to completion
Promotional feature: The Madison Collection - Holistic sustainability
The Madison Collection is committed to creating high-quality hotel and spa linens while at the same time protecting the environment, promoting workplace wellness and supporting clean water rights. Owner Charmaine T Lang and Gilad Lang, vice president of business development, tell us more
Wellness: Staying well
Spa Business takes a look at how some of the world’s biggest hotel operators are addressing the new trend of ‘wellness rooms’
Promotional feature: Biologique Recherche - Pioneering Personalisation
More than 40 years ago, Parisian skincare brand Biologique Recherche was founded, with a focus on research and personalisation. Co-chairs Rupert Schmid and Pierre-Louis Delapalme discuss what’s made the brand so successful – and where the future will take them
Thermal spa: Mountain therapy
Bad Ragaz’s new CEO Patrick Vogler tells Kath Hudson about his new ambitions for the famous Swiss spa resort
An opportunity to reimagine one of the UK’s most recognisable towers has been formally
opened by Rivington Hark, as St Johns Beacon invites operators and partners to shape its
next phase. [more...]
Digital devices disrupt sleep / Syda Productions/shutterstock
Digital detox sessions are becoming increasingly popular in spas as people put away their electronic gadgets for a couple of hours, or even a couple of days, in order to truly embrace ‘me time’. Mandarin Oriental was one of the first operators to introduce ‘digital detoxing’ in 2016 and now Jeremy McCarthy, the group’s director of spa and wellness, has collaborated with figures in medicine, hospitality, economics and technology on a white paper highlighting the “substantial” impact that technology has on our lives. Wellness in the Age of the Smartphone, published by the Global Wellness Institute’s Digital Wellness Initiative in May, is a 32-page report summarising current research focusing on the effect technology has on sleep, obesity, mental health, relationships, personal safety and workplace productivity.
Disrupting sleep “Adults are expected to get eight hours of sleep per night, yet the distraction of new technology may be preventing us from meeting this target,” the report says, adding that up to 60 per cent of adults experience sleep problems.
The blue-light emitting screens on digital devices mimic natural sunlight, keeping us feeling more alert and suppressing the release of sleep hormones. “Using devices in the bedroom or during the hour or two before sleep makes it difficult for us to fall asleep.” Our quality of sleep is profoundly affected too, resulting in ‘junk sleep’ which is neither long enough nor of a high enough quality for the brain to feel rested.
Mental wellness According to the report there are rising rates of depression and anxiety in the UK, with a third of teenage women reporting symptoms. “The cause is not clear but rising rates seem to coincide with the growth of social media,” it says. In extreme cases, teens who spend five or more hours a day online are 71 per cent more likely to have at least one suicide risk factor.
Screen time and TV viewing also has negative associations with childhood cognitive development and is linked to inattentiveness, internalisation of problems and lower self-esteem.
“But the biggest challenges to mental wellness appear to come, not from technology itself, but from the added pressures and pace of life in the digital age,” the report finds. The lines between personal and professional lives are blurred, we’re never too far from our devices and social media can make us feel insecure.
As McCarthy told Spa Business at the launch of Mandarin Oriental’s Digital Detox programmes: “Technology has brought us many great advances, but the expectations for instant communication and the increasing pace of change in the world can have a negative impact on our wellbeing... The spa is one of the few places left in modern society where it is acceptable and even encouraged to disconnect from technology.”
Promotional feature: Terres d’Afrique - Out of Africa
Luxury ethical spa brand Terres d’Afrique has seen rapid expansion in its first years of business. CEO and co-founder Stephan Helary explains how the company has now transitioned to creating bespoke spa experiences from concept to completion
Promotional feature: The Madison Collection - Holistic sustainability
The Madison Collection is committed to creating high-quality hotel and spa linens while at the same time protecting the environment, promoting workplace wellness and supporting clean water rights. Owner Charmaine T Lang and Gilad Lang, vice president of business development, tell us more
Wellness: Staying well
Spa Business takes a look at how some of the world’s biggest hotel operators are addressing the new trend of ‘wellness rooms’
Promotional feature: Biologique Recherche - Pioneering Personalisation
More than 40 years ago, Parisian skincare brand Biologique Recherche was founded, with a focus on research and personalisation. Co-chairs Rupert Schmid and Pierre-Louis Delapalme discuss what’s made the brand so successful – and where the future will take them
Thermal spa: Mountain therapy
Bad Ragaz’s new CEO Patrick Vogler tells Kath Hudson about his new ambitions for the famous Swiss spa resort
A new immersive attraction designed to transport visitors into the final hours of ancient Pompeii
is preparing to open near the world-famous archaeological site in southern Italy.
Experience design company, BRC Imagination Arts, has completed a transition that sees founder
Bob Rogers pass ownership of the business to four long-serving senior executives, while
remaining actively involved with the company.
Movie Park Germany has opened a new Paramount Pictures-themed attraction as part of its 30th
anniversary celebrations, using immersive storytelling and adaptive reuse to reinforce the park’s
longstanding “Hollywood in Germany” positioning.
Therme Manchester’s 28-acre development, which will include interconnected glass pavilions
that measure 65,000sq m, will be the largest bathing and wellbeing attraction in the world once
complete, according to prof David Russell, CEO of Therme UK.
Efteling has opened Hooghmoed, a new family drop tower designed to broaden the appeal of its
recently launched Sirene Island themed area and introduce younger visitors to thrill attractions.
A proposed Puy du Fou development near Bicester and Universal Destinations and Experiences’
planned resort in Bedford are emerging as part of a wider transformation of the Oxford–
Cambridge Growth Corridor into a major centre for UK leisure and tourism inv
Shedd Aquarium has opened the Immersion Theater developed in partnership with SimEx-
Iwerks, as part of a wider strategy to enhance the guest experience and create additional
revenue opportunities.
The UK government has announced a temporary reduction in VAT on visitor attractions and
children’s meals as part of a summer cost-of-living support package designed to stimulate the
visitor economy and encourage family days out.
As designer Yinka Ilori prepares for his first solo gallery show in London, he speaks exclusively
to CLADmag about his mission to spread joy, the power of play, and his bold approach to using
colour (including the colours you won’t see in his work).
The government of Thailand is exploring plans for a THB300bn (£6.3bn, US$8.3bn)
entertainment complex in the country’s Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), with officials
proposing a large-scale theme park and sports destination as part of a broader tourism and
economic development strategy.
An opportunity to reimagine one of the UK’s most recognisable towers has been formally
opened by Rivington Hark, as St Johns Beacon invites operators and partners to shape its
next phase. [more...]
