Ignoring emails could be good for your heart

LONDON: Ignoring email messages altogether could have a positive effect on your heart as it will help reduce stress, a study suggests.

Scientists who attached heart rate monitors to office workers found they remained in a state of "high alert" throughout the day if they had constant access to email.

But those told they had their manager's permission to not check their messages for up to five days at a time had much healthier heart rates, Daily Mail reported Thursday.

Researchers who carried out the study, at the University of California Irvine, are calling for employers to consider implementing email "holidays" to preserve workers' health, the newspaper said.

According to some estimates, more than 200 billion e-mails are sent across the internet every day.

But while they may have improved communication speeds, there have been concerns that electronic messaging is detrimental to both physical and mental health.