Modern smartphones have become an integral part of our lives, they help us stay connected, work, entertain ourselves, and learn new things. However, many of us don’t think about how smartphone use can negatively affect our health.
How a smartphone is bad for your health
In today’s digital world, smartphones have become an integral part of our lives. They provide us with convenience, connectivity, and entertainment on the go. However, prolonged and improper use of the device can have a detrimental effect on our physical and mental health. Thus, the main negative factors include:
- Germs: Smartphones are a real breeding ground for germs. We often touch them with unwashed hands, resulting in the accumulation of bacteria and viruses on their surface. According to experts, a smartphone screen can be dirtier than a toilet seat. When we hold the phone up to our face while talking or scrolling, these germs are easily transferred to us, increasing the risk of infection.
- Painful sensations in the cervical region: Prolonged head tilt over a smartphone causes tension in the muscles of the neck and upper back. This can lead to pain, stiffness, and even headaches.
- Awkward phone calls: Constantly using your phone to socialize can lead to inappropriate or tactless phone calls in inappropriate places. For example, talking while driving, in movie theaters, or during business meetings.
- Surfing at night: The blue light emitted by the device suppresses the production of melatonin, a hormone that regulates sleep. Using a smartphone before bed can disrupt sleep cycles, causing insomnia and fatigue.
- Cancer risk: While there is no conclusive evidence that smartphone use directly causes cancer, some studies have linked prolonged exposure to radiofrequency radiation emitted by smartphones to an increased risk of certain cancers, such as glioma.
- Tension in the tendons: Prolonged cell phone use can cause tension in the thumb tendon, which is responsible for thumb movement. This becomes the cause of a painful condition called trigger thumb, which makes it difficult to bend or extend the joints.
- Thumb arthritis: Constantly clicking your thumb to text, type, or play games can eventually wear down and tear the thumb joint, causing arthritis.
- Cubital tunnel syndrome: Using smartphones in a bent position for long periods of time can compress the ulnar nerve in the elbow. This can lead to cubital tunnel syndrome, which is characterized by numbness, tingling, and pain in the hands and fingers.
- Eye problems: Focusing on a gadget screen for long periods of time can lead to eye strain, dry eyes, and even nearsightedness. In addition, the blue light emitted from smartphones can damage the retina of the eye.
While surfing the internet, watching videos, or playing mobile games on our phones, we can spend hours with a gadget in our hands. Of course, playing for no-deposit free spins at online casinos, which can be found on the topCAD website, can be very exciting, but it is still better to know the measure and limit yourself in time.
How to protect yourself
To minimize the health risks associated with the use of smartphones, it is recommended:
- clean the device regularly with disinfectant wipes;
- maintain proper posture while using a smartphone;
- set limits on the time of use and take breaks;
- use the gadget in a well-lit place and reduce the brightness of the screen;
- avoid using your smartphone before going to bed;
- use a headset or speakerphone for conversations;
- stretch and strengthen neck and arm muscles;
- see an ophthalmologist regularly to check eye health and visual acuity.
Remember, moderate use and taking appropriate precautions can help protect your health from the harmful effects of smartphones.