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.”
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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.”
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A recent survey by the UK Spa Association (UKSA) into the industry’s approach to cancer care
has revealed that almost half of participating respondents (46 per cent) are unaware that
cancer is a disability and guests with a cancer diagnosis must be given
Mexican operator, Solmar Hotels and Resorts, is hosting a series of events in celebration of
Global Wellness Day, including a Temazcal ceremony at its Playa Grande Resort and Spa in Los
Cabos.
Mandarin Oriental has announced a standalone residence brand, Mansions, which will debut at
Emirates Palace, Mandarin Oriental Mansions, Abu Dhabi, in 2029.
Four Seasons Resort The Nam Hai in Hoi An, Vietnam, has put together a Global Wellness Day
(GWD) agenda with activations rooted in nature and shaped by four pillars of Joy – in
alignment with the day’s theme #JoyMagenta.
The Global Wellness Summit (GWS) will celebrate its 20th anniversary at the 2026 event in
Phuket, Thailand, later this year with the theme: The Science, Art and Soul of Wellness.
Auko, an all-inclusive development, is opening in Phong Nha in Vietnam in Q3 2026, with a
series of 30 tented eco-lodges and wellness hospitality operations by Lumina Wellbeing.
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.
Naples Beach Club, a Four Seasons Resort, has opened a 2,800sq m spa called The Sanctuary,
with the design and concept inspired by the Native American people that populated Florida’s
Southwest coast – the Calusa.
Swire Hotels’ luxury hospitality brand Upper House has revealed it will roll out its two-day
House of Healing retreats at its three hotels in Hong Kong, Chengdu and Shanghai.
