7 harmful effects of smartphones on human health

 1. Smartphones have 10 times more bacteria than toilets

Most of the objects we come into contact with every day harbor bacteria, and smartphones are no exception. Some studies show that: 1 smartphone contains 10 times more bacteria and germs than a toilet seat. And out of six smartphones, at least one had feces, 16% of which contained E.coli bacteria.

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The reason is that we often have the habit of carrying our phones everywhere, even to the toilet. After going to the toilet, many people do not wash their hands thoroughly, causing feces and bacteria to stick to the surface of the phone. Besides, very few people have the habit of cleaning the phone surface regularly. This causes bacteria and germs to accumulate around the phone. Over time, the phone itself becomes a reservoir of germs, giant bacteria that can be harmful to your health.

To overcome this situation, use a cloth soaked in alcohol-safe solution that can be used for electronic devices, wipe down your phone at least once a day to remove dust and dirt. bacteria.

2. Text neck - neck pain syndrome

'Text neck' is a neck pain syndrome that occurs in people who often use phones and technology devices.

When bending over to text, surf the web, play games or read newspapers, etc. at a fixed angle (about 60 degrees) for a long time, the neck muscles will be under pressure equivalent to the force of carrying a 27 kg boy. .

Studies also show: the average person spends 2-4 hours looking at the phone screen, this equates to 700-1400 hours per year we create extra pressure on our spine. This condition will last for a long time, causing neck muscle pain, worse you can have nerve pain in the shoulder, back and arm.

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"Text neck' is a neck pain syndrome that occurs in people who often use phones and technology devices. (Photo: Internet)

To avoid text neck syndrome, you should:

1. Sit or stand with correct posture
2. When using the phone, keep the phone at eye level
3. Gentle, proper massage to relieve stiffness and pain in neck muscles cơ
4. Use a hot or ice pack, placing it on painful sites in the neck and upper back
5. Limit prolonged immobility. When working with a computer or phone, you should regularly lean back, rotate your neck forward, back and side to side to relieve pain and stiffness in the neck muscles.
6. Use neck exercises to improve endurance and strengthen your neck muscles.
7. Use technology: use apps or devices that track how long you sit in a stationary position to provide analysis of that posture.

3. Affects sleep

Many people have the habit of using their phones before going to bed. Blue light emitted from phone screens and electronic devices can inhibit the hormone melatonin - a substance that helps maintain the body's circadian rhythm.

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When the body's circadian rhythm is disrupted, it will lead to insomnia, restless sleep, easy to wake up late in the morning, reducing quality of life.

To limit this situation, you should completely stop using your phone and other electronic devices before going to bed.

4. Effects on eyesight

The blue light emitted by the phone has a short wavelength, carrying a high level of energy. Therefore, when blue light passes through the inner cornea, it will easily damage retinal cells. Besides, exposure to blue light for a long time can cause the death of visual cells, causing eye fatigue, eye accommodation disorder, causing dryness, pain, blurred vision and color blur. In the more severe form, you may even go blind.

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To avoid eye problems caused by phone use, you should:

1. Limit the use of phones and electronic devices such as computers when not necessary
2. Take frequent breaks to relax your eyes.

5. Increased risk of depression

A study conducted by the Feinberg University School of Medicine found that people who regularly use their phones for more than 68 minutes a day have a higher risk of depression than the average person.

The reason is: The radiation emitted from the phone stimulates nervous tension in the brain, thereby making the user always feel nervous and anxious. Besides, negative information from social networking sites also makes us feel vulnerable and easily isolated.

To improve this situation, you should:

1. Turn off notification bells for apps like Facebook, Zalo, Tiktok,.
2. Put your phone somewhere else when you need to concentrate on work or study
3. Plan to use your phone according to specific timelines
4. Spend more time outdoors, eating, exercising, spending time with family

6. Anesthesia and hand pain

Using for too long will make it difficult for blood to circulate, leading to numbness in the hands. Besides, using your fingers to surf the phone too much can cause you to have numbness in your fingers, pain in your finger joints or 'stiff' fingers, fingers can not be extended.

To overcome this situation, when using the phone, you should regularly massage your hands, rotate the knuckles for blood circulation, so that the fingers are more flexible.

7. Keeps you away from everyone

In the modern world, everyone tends to use phones and smart devices more. When they are too focused on these devices, they will forget about the need to connect and talk directly to the people around them.

Cell phone use and cancer risk?

Until now, there have not been any studies showing a definite link between cell phone use and cancer or tumors in humans.

However, if you are still concerned about radiation from your cell phone, you can limit your cell phone use or use it in speakerphone mode or use it with a headset.

Lesley Montoya

Update 27 July 2021