Your smartphone could be damaging your body: 6 Health problems linked to excessive screen time

From a teenager to a senior citizen, almost everyone is glued to their mobile phones these days. Most people worry about smartphone addiction because it certainly does impact mental health and productivity. However, excessive phone usage can also have a big impact on physical health, which is seldom ignored by everyone.

If you know someone who spends several hours scrolling, gaming, watching videos or working on a smartphone, it can make a big impact on their posture, reduce physical activity and put more stress on their eyes and hands. According to Dt Nidhi Nigam, Clinical Nutritionist and Health Coach, modern lifestyles are taking an unprecedented toll on our health. She stated, "We count calories, track hormones, and obsess over gut health – meanwhile, the phone in our hand is silently taxing the neck, the eyes, and the grip we never think to measure."

Here’s how your body pays the price for all that tapping and swiping:

1. Posture problems: Heavy phone usage will lead to ‘tech neck’. This means if you bend your head forward to look down at the screen, then suddenly your neck and shoulders are working double-time. You will probably notice:

• A sore neck and tight shoulders
• Stiff muscles
• Headaches
• Your spine feels out of whack

If you keep this up long enough, then you can really mess with the natural curve of your spine.

How to fix this?

• Hold your phone up to save your posture from a hunchback.
• Sit up straight.
• Take breaks while using the phone.

2. Eyestrain: Staring at a bright screen which is right in in front of you for hours will certainly impact your vision and strain your eye muscles. You might get:

• Dry, itchy eyes
• Blurred vision
• Headaches
• Trouble in focusing

You spend more time inside and less time outdoors, and your eyes start to suffer.

How to fix it?

• Try the 20-20-20 rule—every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. 
• Cut down on pointless screen time and spend time outside when you can.

3. Your grip gets weaker without you noticing: Phones change the way we use our hands. You scroll, text, and awkwardly hold that little rectangle, and after a while, your fingers start getting stiff, your thumb aches, and your pinky finger gets impacted due to supporting the smartphone. Your grip just is not what it used to be. Physical activities that work your hands fade into the background.

How to fix it?

• Swap scrolling for something hands-on.
• Put the phone down, stretch your hands, write with a pen, chop some vegetables, swing a bat, or use some tools – anything active helps keep your grip strong.

4. Fitness drops: It is easy to sit around when your phone keeps you busy, doing everything at your fingertips. This means, instead of moving, you stay at one place for a very long time (Reducing the mobility of your body), and your body does not get the push it needs.

Next thing you know, your muscles feel weaker, you are less active, and it is easier to gain weight.

How to fix this?

• Get up, move around.
• Lift, walk, stretch—do something to wake up those muscles.
• Go for a walk without your handset.

5. Your hands and eyes lose coordination: Real-world activities mean movement of the body, which needs the coordination of eyes and hands. 

For instance:

• Playing ball means focusing with the eyes and using the hand or foot
• Drawing needs a hand under control and an eye to focus on the art
• Cooking needs hands and eyes to cut, chop, stir and more

Meaning, we all need to train our hand-eye coordination in ways that screens just cannot match.

How to fix this?

• Make time for things that involve both your hands and your brain.
• Play a sport, paint, build something—your coordination stays sharp.

6. Skin issues: Yes, it is possible. You must have heard about phones being the most unhygienic gadget which we carry anywhere. Phones and other wearables are pressed against your skin all day. This may sometimes lead to rashes, irritation or reactions from certain materials, especially if you forget to clean your devices.

How to fix?

• Keep your gadgets clean and let your skin breathe whenever you can.

How to fix the side effects of excessive screen time?

"Screens connect us to the world but disconnect us from the needs of our own body," said Dt Nigam. This means smartphones are not the villain, but nonstop use could be, resulting in multiple health problems which could be lethal at times.

Everyone with a phone must know when to:

• Take breaks
• Move more
• Straighten up
• Get outdoors

So, building small changes and adapting healthy habits into your day instead of trying to quit your smartphone could help you fix a lot of things.