Health Concerns Heavy Smartphone Users Should Know About
It’s difficult these days to find anyone who doesn’t own, or at least have access to, a smartphone.
People use them for a wide range of actions such as talking, shopping, and working.
If you use a smartphone for hours daily for whatever reason, it’s essential to be reminded of the ways such a behavior could negatively affect your health.
Here are five issues that you might face if you spend a lot of time using a smartphone.
- Eye Strain and Digital Vision Syndrome
One of the conditions individuals experience from overusing smartphones is eye strain, also known as computer vision syndrome. It occurs when the eyes get dry due to excessive staring at device screens.
Another problem is eye strain because of the low resolution of smartphones. This forces the eyes to work extra hard to concentrate on whatever’s on the screens.
You can protect yourself by, among other things, following the 20-20-20 rule. Every 20 minutes, look at something that is 20 feet away for a period of 20 seconds. It’s also a good idea to activate the dark or blue filters during the evening hours.
2. Neck, Back, and Shoulder Pain
If you’re the type of person who is accustomed to looking down at your phone a lot, you could experience debilitating neck stiffness. It’s also referred to as “text neck” because of the position that individuals put themselves into when staring at a smartphone screen.
Text neck could cause neck and shoulder tension, chronic headaches, back pain, spine alignment issues, and restricted mobility. It goes without saying that you don’t want to be texting while driving a vehicle. Many accidents are caused by people who haven’t gotten the message that texting and driving don’t mix. Taking your eyes off the road to read or type a text could create the sort of problems requiring personal injury lawyers.
You can avoid text neck by placing your phone at eye level, doing neck and shoulder stretches, and maintaining good posture, whether you’re sitting or standing.
3. Mental Health Concerns
Mobile phones are the things that keep people connected these days, but sometimes these phones also keep people drained and overwhelmed. A constant stream of notifications, for example, can take up more time than it’s worth.
The overuse of smartphones has been linked to heightened anxiousness, stress, mental fatigue, social withdrawal, and depression.
It’s best to turn off notifications that are not essential, set time limits for different social networking applications, establish “phone-free” times each day, and spend time outdoors instead of in front of a smartphone screen to reduce stress.
4. Poor Sleep Quality and Daytime Fatigue
If you’ve ever struggled to go to sleep due to constant scrolling, texting, and video-watching while you are in bed, you’re not alone.
Staying tethered to your smartphone can disrupt your body’s circadian rhythm, the biological clock that controls sleeping and waking.
It’s best to avoid using your cell phone at least one hour before sleeping. As well, you should charge your phone somewhere other than your bedroom and activate the “Do Not Disturb” feature during the night.
- Decreased Attention Span and Productivity
Overusing your smartphone could also impede your ability to concentrate. Your mind can become accustomed to the quick fixes of entertainment, such as notifications, incoming text messages, and video clips.
You should avoid having your phone near you when working and studying. Organize your work environment using productivity apps that disable notifications and deny access to distracting websites during work hours. And switch your phone to silent mode during engaging activities that require concentration. Small changes in behavior will help improve concentration and train your mind to focus on the task at hand.
Smartphones are sources of convenience, entertainment, and connectivity, but overindulging in these gadgets may have a devastating effect on your health and mental well-being. It’s imperative to proactively achieve a good relationship with these gadgets and learn ways to modify your behavior so that you obtain the benefits and avoid the problems.
