Is Using Your Smartphone Harming Your Health?
POSTED ON July 20, 2016 BY Kat Gal


Is Using Your Smartphone Harming Your Health?
Written by: Kat Gal
How many hours a day do you spend on Facebook? How about other social media? Emails? Texting? Whatsapp?
I mean, how much time do you really spend slumped with your smartphone “just checking” things, reading, posting and responding? Be honest.
It turns out that on average, people are on their smartphones between 2 to 4 hours a day. This is just the average. In some more extreme cases, it can be up to 10 hours a day, or even more.
If you have a smartphone, chances are you do spend a lot of time on it. It’s not your fault, it’s just part of our modern day life. However, this awkward position with your head down can lead to temporary and long lasting damage on your spine.
Did you know that your head weighs between 10 and 12 pounds? That’s a crazy amount of pressure on your spine, even when you are standing or sitting with perfect posture. Now, imagine this pressure when you are slouching or tilting your head down…
You don’t have to do the math yourself. Science is here to help. Tilting your head about 15 degrees forward increases the stress to 27 pounds, tilting it 30 degrees makes it 40 pounds, a 45 degree tilt creates 49 pounds of pressure and 60 degrees makes it a whooping 60 pounds. This sounds extreme, but the truth is that most people tilt their head up to 60 degrees when focusing on their smartphones.
I could tell you to quit your smartphone, but chances are you won’t be able to or don’t want to do it completely. You may be a Facebook addict, a text lover, a social media fanatic, or simply your job or online business forces you to be on your phone a lot.
Don’t worry, even little adjustments can make a huge difference.
Pay attention to your posture more. A proper posture means that your shoulder blades and your shoulders are aligned and your back is in a neutral position. Lifting your smartphones higher up with your arms will help you to keep a good posture. Phones are becoming lighter and lighter, so holding them up is becoming easier.
When you can, use your laptop or desktop – preferably with a standing desk or sitting up straight – instead of your phone.
And of course, reduce your online time as much as possible – it has a multitude of health benefits for your mind, body and soul.
So tell me, how much time do you actually spend on your smartphone texting or being on social media? I am curious… Do you pay attention to your posture? What steps will you be taking to take care of your posture better? Share in the comments below. As always, we’d love to hear from you.

Kat Gál is a holistic health writer who helps health, wellness, and nutrition businesses to market their products and services through quality online content. She is also a freelance writing mentor teaching wanna-be-freelancers how to make a living writing at freelancewriterschool.com. Reach out if you are looking for amazing blog content at katgalwriter@gmail.com or katgalwriter.com. Visit freelancewriterschool.com for freelance writing tips. Follow me on Instagram @freelancewriterschool and on Facebook at facebook.com/katgalwriter.
Latest posts by Kat Gal (see all)
SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS