Is email apnea catching you off guard?

Picture this: you’re lounging by the pool, drink in hand, completely in vacation mode, until you’re caught off guard by a (dreaded) email notification. Curiosity takes over, and before you know it, you’re tense, bracing yourself for an email that you shouldn’t even look at, considering you’re on holiday. All of a sudden, you’re back in your office, stressing over a potential pending deadline or an unfinished task. And without even realising it, you’re holding your breath, steeling yourself for the worst. Exhausting, isn’t it? If this sounds all too familiar to you, then you may be experiencing “email apnea”. 

What is email apnea?

Much like sleep apnea—where people hold their breath in their sleep—email apnea is when people unconsciously hold their breath when checking their email. The term was coined by former Microsoft executive Linda Stone, who noticed how people often enter “fight or flight” mode with every ping as if bracing for themselves for bad news.

This concept of email apnea came to Stone through her own experience where she noticed that, like many others, she unconsciously held her breath while checking her email or texts on her phone. Curious about this reaction, she did some research and found out that this habit wasn’t hers alone—it was surprisingly common among people who frequently interact with digital devices.

So why does this happen? For most of us, our inbox really has become the epicentre of our stress. Almost every single email seems to be reaching for something—our attention, our time, and energy. Even the prospect of our inbox piling up with unread emails makes us feel overwhelmed and like we are falling behind. While emails cannot be avoided, it is possible to preserve your sanity by not letting them take a toll on your mental well-being.

How does it affect us?

Email apnea can affect the body’s balance of oxygen, carbon dioxide, and nitric oxide, potentially impacting our nervous and respiratory systems as a response to stress in digital environments. Further research into “screen apnea”—which is basically an extension of email apnea but to all digital screens—highlights this irregular breathing pattern as a part of our body’s stress response. According to experts like Dr Stephen Porges from the University of North Carolina, sudden stimuli such as email notifications, can trigger this reflex because the body senses these interruptions as low-level threats. Over time, this can develop into chronic shallow breathing or even breath-holding, with some long-term consequences of fatigue and heightened anxiety. Studies point out that increasing screen size, regular breaks, and conscious breathing may reduce some of the effects by counteracting the stress on the nervous system due to constant notifications and screen time.

So how do you prevent email apnea from taking over your day? Here are a few simple, science-backed strategies.

Learn to set digital boundaries

Limit email checks to specific times—perhaps once an hour or less, depending on your job restraints. Set predictable email intervals to help train your brain to anticipate when you’ll have inbox sessions instead of reacting negatively to every notification.

Practice mindful breathing 

Breathing techniques like box breathing, where you inhale for four counts, hold for four, exhale for four, and hold again for four or “4-7-8 breathing,” inhaling for four, holding for seven, exhaling for eight helps in regulating the nervous system. Both of these techniques can help break the breath-holding cycle when you dive into your emails, and keep you grounded.

Use the "10-second rule" before opening emails

The next time you feel an impulse to check an email urgently, take 10 seconds to breathe deeply before you open it. This brief pause reminds your brain that you are the one in control and not the email.

Take eye and screen breaks

Every 20 minutes, look away to gaze at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. This method prevents your eyes from straining and gives your mind a crucial reset time to help you stay focused and calm over the long haul.

Let go of that concept of “inbox zero”

Let’s face it: inboxes will always have unread emails. It’s not about achieving “inbox zero,” but “inbox zero stress.” Prioritise a few emails each day, respond to only what is needed, and remind yourself that not every email requires an immediate reply.

Lead image credit: Pexels

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