Alan Jewitt, the owner and managing director of Kendal-based web experts SYPO, says there is a time when we all need to switch off from the internet

Summer’s here and you’re about to go on holiday. But will you take a real break?

When laptops and tablets and smart-phones were invented, there was a notion that this new and mobile technology would make our lives easier and our working days shorter.

In reality, the exact opposite has happened. We’ve become slaves to the web, we’re finding it hard to switch off, and some of us are working 24/7. And it’s not good for our health.

I know this because my company is one of those which never sleeps. As web developers and e-commerce specialists, we’re proud of our offer to clients that we are available to help them whenever they need us. So I’m almost always on duty, and spend far more than the average amount of time connected to the internet, laptop and phone being constant companions.

Research shows the average adult (which I’m not) spends about 4.5 hours a day watching TV and uses a digital device (smartphone, tablet, computer) almost six hours a day – terrible for your health and wellbeing.

A recent study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found that too much screen time doubles the risk of being ill or dying from heart disease (the leading cause of death in the United States), while a study in the International Journal of Obesity found that digital media consumption may be linked to obesity, sleep disorders, stress, high blood pressure and depression.

Hence the need for a digital detox, a complete break from the online routine. Ten years ago, that would have been called a Saturday. Today, in a world where the average user logs 1.72 hours per day on social media alone, the notion is somewhat terrifying.

Even when on holiday, we are constantly connected over social media, email, and by using our devices to find the best restaurant on Tripadvisor or the best route on maps. As a result, being ‘offline’ for any stretch of time is confronting.

So it was with the obvious health benefit in mind that I escaped from the virtual world by travelling 233 miles north of Kendal to Dunstaffnadge Marina, near Oban at the entrance to Loch Etive on the West Coast of Scotland. A long way to go to escape the internet. There was wifi in the area, but not on the boat where I was to spend a weekend. And yes, it felt scary to let go.

Would the world end while I was away? Well, there was a chance that something might go wrong. The last time I took a break, one of our clients suffered a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack, when criminals attacked their website and demanded money by blackmail.

But the experts say that a self-imposed digital detox cleanse can boost your health and create more happiness in your life. Research even suggests that turning off your digital devices temporarily can boost creativity and problem solving and have a positive impact on your health.

The experts say: "Try to have at least one hour before bedtime where there is no digital stimulation so you can unwind. During this digital-free time period, try to connect with yourself through reflection, awareness or meditation. Furthermore, don't let digital devices stay on at night next to you unless it's mandatory.” Hmm, tricky one, that.

"During waking hours, try to deliberately carve out and uphold windows of time without digital devices. Maybe every one or two hours, leave at least twenty minutes to break from them and instead focus on things other than digital devices." Must try harder there.

But the detox, and the sea air, did work. By the end of the weekend I felt much better, less sluggish, less sleepy, more positive. And what had I missed? Just 473 emails, that’s all.