5 bad smartphone habits one should avoid
Smartphones can be the best and the worst appliance we use in our daily lives. Although the convenience and technology is helpful, excess smartphone use can have negative effects in the long run. Studies have indicated that overusing your smartphone can lead to impaired cognitive function, social media addiction, impulsivity, and sleep issues. To prevent such problems, one should immediately stop these five bad smartphone habits listed below.
Instantly checking notifications
Most of us are guilty of checking notifications the moment our phone buzzes. Constantly checking all notifications and reacting or responding to them all can be taxing on your brain in the long run. This can affect a person’s concentration levels. This is especially true in younger adults, as they are introduced to phones at an extremely young age. Constantly checking for notifications on your phone should be avoided as it could impact your ability to focus.
Scrolling before bed
It’s the most common smartphone mistake. One may think that scrolling for a few minutes is harmless, but minutes can turn to hours before you know it. Constantly scrolling on your phone before bedtime keep your brain engaged and affects your sleep cycle. Once the lights are turned off in your room, your brain knows it’s time to rest. But feeding it with more information leads to stimulation. Your mind remains preoccupied with the information you’ve scrolled through. This can significantly impact sleep quality. Additionally, the blue light from your phone can be counterproductive at night. Studies have linked blue light with bad vision and poor sleep.
Sleeping with your phone
It’s not a very good idea to place your phone under the pillow or near your bead while sleeping. A phone constantly emits radio frequency due to transmission of calls and texts. This could keep you from getting good quality sleep. If you’re prone to headaches, neck pain, or muscle pains, try keeping your phone at least three feet away or on airplane mode. Exposure to these radio frequencies over the long run could prove to be more dangerous. One should also avoid charging their phone in the bedroom.
Texting while driving
Being distracted while driving can have terrible consequences. Texting while driving or walking is one of the worse smartphone habits. It could cause some serious harm to yourself and others on the road. Unnecessarily texting or talking on the phone while driving is a risky behavior that should be avoided. If you really have to answer or reply to someone urgently, pull over and park on the side of the road.
Not keeping your phone on silent mode
Notifications can be distracting at times. They can also be annoying to some people when you are in a social setting. The sound of a person’s ringtone or notification may not be well received in certain environments. It’s best to keep your phone on silent or vibrate mode during an important meeting, while having dinner, or while watching a movie in a theater.