Our Smartphones have become an indispensable part of our lives. So much so that we always keep the phone physically close to us as much as possible.
Studies today would say something and it would change tomorrow. Even if a so-called research implied that radiation from cell or mobile phones are causing health hazards, it is something that many people personally felt uncomfortable after having their mobile phones close to their body.
Usage of mobile phone is known to contribute to pain in the face/ears/eyes, palpitations and long term usage have been linked to cancer from holistic studies that are being done. I myself personally experienced it when I was previously using my Blackberry. However, the feeling goes off after I switched to Samsung.
Yet, I feel very uncomfortable after a while when I keep my phone in my pants pocket. The discomfort only happens on the side which I am keeping the phone. It is not due to the heat of the phone. I have tried switching from left pocket to right pocket and the discomfort would follow the side which I keep my Smartphone in.
It is a similar sensation that I get on my face when I keep my face too close to my desktop the entire day when rushing for work and deadlines. The feeling usually goes off when I go and step barefoot in my garden and go outdoors.
I tend to keep my phone in my pockets when I am out and about but the moment I reach home or get in my car, I would quickly take the phone out of my pockets.
Avoid keeping the phone by your bedside, especially charging it
I know many people have this habit of charging their phones overnight by their bedside while they are asleep.
It is natural because most of us (myself included) would use the phone to do some reading before sleeping. For me, I would be reading articles or videos to research on topics and then ‘sleep on it’. So of course the phone battery would go down and we would tend to charge to avoid the phone power going to zero when we need to use the phone the next day.
However, have you ever compared the time you felt when you have your phone either on the bed with you or by your bedside and when it is away from you (example in another room)?
Even if you can’t live without your phone by your bedside, consider this:
- charging your phone overnight will decrease the battery life of your Smartphone. Once your battery stops operating at an optimal level, you would find your phone battery drains very fast and you would have to always carry a powerbank or charge the phone in your car. If you are looking to buy a new battery, original batteries for most Smartphones are expensive.
- it is annoying when it rings or a Whatapps message wakes you and/or your partner from sleep at night. It is even more so when you are awaken not due to an emergency but because someone decided to forward 10 photos via Whatapps at 3am in the morning or Facebook notification sound due to someone (living in another timezone) decided to tag you, a long time friend in an embarrassing childhood photo.
The studies would always be conflicting in nature. Like having your daily dose of coffee– some studies say it is good but some said otherwise. Which one you are going to believe?
You should always believe what your body is telling you. If you have your phone stuck on your pocket the entire day and feel pain or discomfort in the area, then remove the phone and put it in your bag.
There is an interesting article published which mentioned the following:
Dr Davis said mobile phone-like radiation was being used positively in the medical field to treat liver cancer, detect cancer and enhance the absorption of drugs in the brain.
But the reason it is able to do this was because the radiation broke down the blood brain barrier, which protects the brain from foreign substances that may injure it.
The radiation can also damage DNA, affect male fertility and change the brain’s metabolism.
And that’s not all — researchers have also found mobile phone use could contribute to the development of depression, diabetes and heart irregularities.
Dr Davis also spoke of a specific case where a young woman developed breast tumours exactly the same shape as the mobile phone she’d been tucking into her bra.Here’s why you should never carry your mobile phone in your pocket (or your bra)
Further reading:
- Cell Phones and Cancer Risk by National Cancer Institute
- Here’s why you should never carry your mobile phone in your pocket (or your bra)
