Mobile phones are practically attached to our hips, but that might not be the best place for you to put your favorite handheld device. Neither are the below places.
1. IN YOUR POCKET
Keeping your phone in your pocket seems logical, but you could be doing more harm than good. According to Lilly Friedman, MD, this is actually the worst place to store your cell phone.
“When cell phones are on, connected to a wireless network, and placed in a pocket, the radiation is two to seven times higher than if it were placed in a purse or holster,” she says.
There is a correlation between radiation from a cell phone and tumor growth.
She adds radiation can change the structure of DNA and affect male fertility, according to Dr. Friedman.
2. IN YOUR BRASIER
Some research and case studies show that keeping your phone in your bra could be linked to breast cancer due to the radiations and vibrations from the phone.
That said, there is not enough evidence to establish a definite relationship between the two.
Still, keeping your phone in your bra, especially a sports bra, is a bad idea due to the skin-irritating bacteria it could harbour.
3. UNDER YOUR PILLOW
Sleeping with your cell phone is a bad idea for a few reasons. First, keeping your phone under your pillow could build up heat and present a potential fire hazard, especially if your phone is charging or has a defect.
It’s also known that the LED light from phone screens can disrupt melatonin production and circadian rhythms, hurting your sleep quality, according to the National Sleep Foundation.
And, of course, there’s also radiation to consider as well. The amount of radiofrequency radiation cell phones give off are the same ones emitted from microwaves.
There is also concern about the safety of cell phone use with respect to cancer and brain tumors, per the American Cancer Society.
4. CLOSE TO YOUR FACE
Keeping your phone close to your face means bacteria transfers to and from your phone, making your skin and phone dirtier.
This combination leads to more acne, skin irritation, and even wrinkles, according to Allure.
Try using ear pods instead to keep the surface of your phone at a distance from your face.
5. ANYWHERE IN YOUR BATHROOM
Although cell phones could arguably be the new newspaper, it’s not a good idea to take yours into the bathroom.
Even if you keep your device on a counter or away from the toilet, anything within three feet of a flushing one could end up with bacteria or viruses in the air, according to a study published in Applied and Environmental Microbiology.
According to the study, “The detection of bacteria and viruses falling out onto surfaces in bathrooms after flushing indicated that they remain airborne long enough to settle on surfaces throughout the bathroom.”
Mobile phones are meant to make our lives easier, and so we need to desist from acts that that will rather make them an impediment to our lives.
