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Weird Science Discovery of the Day: Can Texting Ease Pain?
You know, everyone loves to tease me about how glued I am to my phone, but I felt totally justified when I stumbled across this intriguing study about texting just before surgery. According to research published in the Pain Medicine journal, folks who send texts right before getting anesthesia actually need fewer painkillers afterward.
And it gets even better! The study compared texting to playing Angry Birds, and guess what? The Angry Birds players ended up asking for more meds than the texters. I mean, if they were looking for a soothing distraction, they might have been better off with Candy Crush.
I totally relate to this. Back in 2007, I was on my BlackBerry while in labor with my daughter. It wasn’t that I was too busy to have a baby; I just needed something to keep me entertained between contractions. Plus, I got a kick out of the shocked reactions from friends, like “Why are you on your BlackBerry during labor?” But really, chatting about anything other than the impending arrival of my baby was a welcome distraction.
But here’s the kicker: texting a stranger was actually found to be more beneficial than texting a friend. That makes sense, right? Friends are likely to sympathize and talk about the surgery, which could make you more anxious. A stranger, however, lets you steer the conversation elsewhere—just like I was doing with my work emails back then.
Interestingly, patients who didn’t text at all were six times more likely to ask for extra painkillers compared to those who engaged in casual texting with a research assistant. This sparks a fun idea! What if we created a service where chatty strangers could text with people before their procedures? Think of it as a way to connect folks over shared interests, kind of like how people post on social media when they want someone to talk about their favorite shows, like “I need someone to discuss The Bachelor!”
Imagine a platform for freelancers where they could sign up and list their available times and favorite topics to chat about. This could be a fantastic gig for shy people since it’s all through texting. The possibilities are endless!
If you’re curious about home insemination and pregnancy, check out this excellent resource from the NIH here. And if you want to dive deeper into the world of home insemination kits, you might find this post on our other blog post intracervicalinsemination.com interesting.
In summary, texting before surgery might just be a simple distraction that helps ease pain, and it opens up fun ideas about how we can connect during stressful times. Who knew that tapping away on our phones could have such surprising benefits?