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It’s with you all the time, and your cellphone could be affecting your health in unexpected ways.
It keeps you awake
If you’re struggling to get or stay asleep, cellphones and other technology might be one of the factors to look at. A study by the National Sleep Foundation in the US showed that 95% of people interacted with technology just before going to bed – and two-thirds didn’t get enough sleep.
It can cause ‘cellphone elbow’
Numbness and tingling in the arm and hand might be caused by prolonged flexing of the elbow, as can happen when you spend a lot of time holding the cellphone to your ear.
It could get you run over
Answering and SMS or instant messaging while you cross the road is a health hazard your mother never warned you about. A study at the university of Alabama showed that fiddling with your cellphone is distracting and increases your risk of being hit by a car. And listening to music is even worse.
It may weaken your bones
A small Argentinian study showed that men who carried their phone in a particular pocket of their pants had less bone density in the thigh on that side.
It can blister your thumbs
A study on South African teens showed that blisters are a common side-effect of over-enthusiastic messaging. The study was done by a Grade 11 learner and published in the SA Medical Journal.
(Adele Hamilton, Health24, September 2011
