So what does cell phone usage have to do with your health? Well, small screens, squinting and spine squashing are just a few of the side effects of using a cell phone.
Eye Problems
Staring at a small screen for a long time can cause dry eyes and irritation. This in turn, can lead to inflammation and infections. Additionally, it has been suggested that staring at screens all day can be a cause for near-nearsightedness among children as well as cause for adults to need glasses sooner.
In order to combat these problems, enlarge the size of font on the screen and look at your phone in a well-lit area. Take a break after 15 minutes of staring at the screen and if you feel your eyes getting dry, use re-wetting eye drops.
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Back and Neck Problems
Because we tend to poke our heads out when reading a screen on a tablet, phone or laptop, the nerves at the top of our spines are compressed, therefore causing headaches and feeling stiff or tired.
Phones and screens in general are changing our posture since it’s something that we incorporate into our every day activities.
To save your neck and head from pain, straighten up when using your phone. Do some back stretching exercises and remember to keep your shoulders back instead of hunched forward.
Hearing Loss
We’ve all been told that listening to music to loudly in headphones can cause damage to the ear. This is the same for those of us who use hands-free head sets to talk on the phone. Many of the standard headsets are poorly made and leak sound, which makes us turn up the volume.
Be sure to buy quality headphones if you’re going to use them and even then, keep volume levels as low as possible.
Sagging Jaws
It’s not as bad as it sounds, yet if you don’t want that extra skin hanging underneath your chin and jawline, straighten up. People have started to complain of a weak jaw line as well, caused from looking downward too much. Since we usually hold tablets and phones below chest level, we typically look down.
In order to avoid this, hold your phone or tablet out in front of you instead of below you.
Skin Problems
After using the phone for a phone call, there are times when cheeks sweat which can cause a rash or pimples to begin forming on the side of the face. Studies have shown that cellphones can carry quite a bit of germs on them, causing skin irritation.
When you remember, be sure to wipe down your phone with a disinfectant wipe to prevent those germs from getting on your face.