'Email apnea': Reading work emails makes us forget to breathe

"Email apnea is a similar idea-just happening in the middle of your workday. When we're intensely focused on a task, the brain will "switch off" certain unconscious functions to redirect its processing power to the task at hand. In that state, a lot of people unknowingly alter their breathing, taking short sips of breath, or sometimes holding it altogether."

"When we open an inbox, scroll through a feed, or get pulled into something on a screen, our nervous system shifts into low-grade alert mode. In these moments, the body is doing what has been designed to do: to protect us. It's a human, biological response to perceived uncertainty, threat or danger, which in the modern world, an overflowing inbox can feel like."

"She found that 80% of the participants also breathed more shallowly when stationed in front of a screen. Those who didn't had received some kind of formal training in breathing as either athletes, dancers or musicians."

Email apnea is a phenomenon where people unconsciously alter their breathing—taking shallow breaths or holding their breath entirely—while engaged in focused digital tasks like checking emails. The term was coined by Linda Stone in the late 2000s after she noticed her own breathing became shallow at her computer. A study of 200 participants found that 80% exhibited shallow breathing when in front of screens, except those with formal training in breathing techniques. This occurs because intense focus causes the brain to redirect processing power, inadvertently switching off unconscious functions like normal breathing. The nervous system shifts into low-grade alert mode when encountering digital stimuli, perceiving uncertainty or potential threat. Email apnea remains difficult to detect because it happens unconsciously in the background of other activities.

Read at Fast Company