Cell phones are as ubiquitous as the common fly. Everywhere we look people are on them wondering around like zombies about to bump into walls or get hit by a car. It’s amazing to think that smart phones have only been around about 10 years. We don’t know the long-term effects of smart technology, but the small longitudinal studies are rather ominous. Let’s look at Cell Phones’ Effect On Our Bodies.
Cell Phones’ Effect On Our Bodies
“Selfie Elbow”
Americans are swiping so much on their apps that doctors have defined a new strain injury called “selfie elbow.” It is caused by extending your arm at an awkward extreme angle and this maneuvering has caused thousands to suffer from chronic pain. So much so that tens of thousands of people search “selfie elbow” and “texting thumb pain” on Google. Out of all the Cell Phones’ Effect On Our Bodies this is perhaps the most benign.
Learn about the Screen Addiction Problem in America & How To Fit It.
Sperm production worse ever in history. Links to cell phone usage?
Radiation Exposure
Out of all the Cell Phones’ Effect On Our Bodies points this is a biggie…and controversial. And when I mean controversial I mean controversial. Big Telecommunication has been telling us for decades that the electromagnetic radiation emanating from cell phones is not injurious to us.
But recent studies out of the University of Washington and elsewhere speak a more ominous stories. EMF Radiation has been linked to increased rate of hip fracture for men who wear their phones on their waste, reduced sperm production, specific types of brain tumors, infertility, and more.
Check out our Occult Health News episode on Sperm Rates Dropping In the World Due to Hormone Disruptors.
The mainstream media and its nefarious connections to Big Communication try to play this down, but independent studies are stating that we need to seriously reduce our exposure to EMF or we will be paying the consequences down the road.
Remember, we have NO longitudinal studies showing the effects of these insidious devices on our health stretched out for 30, 40, or even 60 years. I fret to think what horrible health repercussions will be coming out in 2060.
If you are worried about EMF Radiation, use ear buds when speaking on the phone (especially when traveling at fast speeds) and keep the phone or iPad away from your body and onto a pillow as far from your body as possible. Slide it to Airplane Mode before you fall asleep and during the day when not in use.
Learn more about Smart Devices Tracking Your TV Watching & Spying on You.
10x the microbes than a toilet!
Germ Reservoir
We rarely clean our phones and as such, harmful pathogens collect and proliferate on them. As we move our hands from our devices to our face, these “critters” easily get into our body orifices to wreak havoc on our health. This especially happens in the winter when our mucousa dries up, our Vitamin D levels drop, and our eating becomes worse.
All of which add up to a greater chance of sickness. A University of Arizona study showed that our phones have ten times the germs than most toilets. Wipe your phone daily with gadget-friendly antimicrobial wipes, and of course, wash your hands often. And keep them away from your face!
Ding, Ding…Buzz, Buzz!
The incessant dinging and buzzing of our phones alerting us of notifications or texts messages diminishes our ability to focus on tasks. I see this in first-person daily in class when my kids are distracted from note-taking from their Snap or Inst notifications.
Each time we get one we think of FOMO or in general what the notification is, leading us to lose focus and daydream. Productivity diminishes. Solution: Airplane Mode your phone…if you have the self-restraint. And what teenagers do?
Why can you sleep but I can’t?!
Sleep Problems
We have covered rather extensively on this site the effect of blue-light, which eminates from our devices, has on our sleep. In short, it tricks the body into thinking that it is still daylight outside therefore inhibiting the production of our sleep hormone, melatonin, from being made.
Insomnia is directly linked to higher rates of infection, cancer, obesity, heart attacks, and all-cause mortality. That’s a big deal! Consider purchasing blue-light blocking glasses (See Ad Below) or at the least lower the brightness on your devices at dusk.
Read the Sleep Insomnia Chronicles for my first-hand experience with debilitating insomnia.
Read Natural Biohacks To Improve Sleep
Boredom Is Good
Psychologist Larry Rosen, author of The Distracted Mind, mentions in his book that boredom is good. Why is boredom good? Well, letting our mind to wander let’s some of the greatest ideas come to our head. Being hooked into the matrix of our phones puts us in a constant state of vigilance disallowing our mind to detach and be bored.
Allow yourself to take walks or stare at nature. Perhaps you can collate the random thoughts in your head leading to the next big invention in which we will all benefit.
Rosen’s book is amazing and revelatory. check it out now.
“My Eyes…My Eyes!”
Remember on Friends when Phoebe finds out about Monica and Chandler by seeing them having sex, she exclaims “My Eyes…My Eyes!” Great moment in television.
Perhaps you might not be able to use your eyes properly if you are looking at screams too long. More than half of Americans experience eye strain, blurred vision, retinal damage and more. Consider taking breaks from the phone, wear blue-light blocking glasses, blink more often, and increase the font.
Watch that Car!
Remember when Pokemon Go! was big? You would see kids walking around like zombies with no regard to their surroundings. I see this daily in the hallways at school where kids wired to their phone and music would bump into people in the opposite direction or even walls.
When done in public this can kill you since you are not aware of not only cars and other moving vehicles but even potholes, ditch holes, curbs, and other hazards that can damage you.
Incidentally In a study published in the Journal of Traffic and Transportation Engineering, close to 90% of participants didn’t see dollar bills hanging from a nearby tree. Why? Because of “zombie walk.” Not only could your phones kill you but they are depriving you of free money!
Depression/anxiety social media link.
Anxiety & Depression
Perhaps the most serious of all Cell Phones’ Effect On Our Bodies. The studies are rather resounding showing that the more amount of time you spend on social media the higher rates of depression, body dysmorphia, eating disorders, and other harmful tendencies. It makes sense because you are constantly comparing yourself to others…others who only post happy pictures of themselves and their family.
Don’t believe me? Check out this article from the American Psychiatric Association. They are pretty bonafide.
Vis-a-vis anxiety, FOMO or the “fear of missing out” is so prevalent among teenagers it has caused a skyrocketing epidemic of anxiety. This makes sense on many levels.
As it is the constant dinging of the phone, the worry that you are missing out on something important, the constant state of vigilance your mind is blitzed when on phones causes a surging of our stress hormone, cortisol. Cortisol in small amounts helps us in “Fight or Flight” moments but long-term release of it leads to weight gain, anxiety, malaise, and more. Airplane Mode my friends!
So even if you realize Cell Phones’ Effect On Our Bodies is pretty bad and you want to disconnect, it is exceedingly hard. Even worse, when you decide to Airplane Mode it, your brain is in “Withdrawal Mode.” Many people experience withdrawal symptoms of heart rate increasing, palpitations, sweating, and alike simply because of FOMO. You must retrain your brain that nothing that important is going on that necessitates you checking your phone all the time.
Cell Phones’ Effect On Our Bodies is rather pernicious and extensive. These are just a few of the problems with our cell phones. The list is quite longer, but I wanted to hit some of the main ones.
When I ask my students “Why do you need a cell phone?” they tell me “so my parents have a way to contact me.” I ask them “How do you think our parents contacted us at school before the advent of cell phones?” (I wouldn’t use “advent” because 90% of my kids would not know the word.).
I told them that our parents would contact the main office and we would be paged down to the office to speak on the phone. When I tell them this, they give me a look of bewilderment.
When I tell them that when I graduated from high school, we didn’t have email, the Internet, and certainly cell phones, their eyes bug out to the point when they are going to explode! They can’t fathom a world without their phones. This is Cell Phones’ Effect On Our Bodies. Alas, we are addicted.
Learn About Cell Phones Industry Direct Admissions That Phones Linked To Cancer.
I’m not advocating we remove smart phones altogether. I’m only suggesting a proper balance. Doesn’t our brain the health of our bodies deserve that?
Check out our podcast episode on how even Steve Jobs didn’t let his kids play with his smart devices.
And our advice article on How To Health A Healthy Balance With Screens.