Cell phone addiction may be causing more trouble than the occasional dry eyes and a stiff neck. We begin every day by looking at our cell phone screens in the morning. Reading news and checking Instagram feeds on the toilet are morning rituals. But long after you are done pooping, you still linger on the toilet seat, waiting for the FRIENDS episode to end. Now, this won’t be easy to accept, but your cell phone addiction may be causing piles. Dr Sarah Jarvis of patient.info told The Sun Online that the length of the time you spend on the pot, gazing into your phone raises your haemorrhoid risk. The more you use your phone, the longer you stay on the toilet. That increases the pressure on the veins on the rectum, leading to haemorrhoids. But that’s not the only health problem caused by smartphone addiction.

1. Cell Phone Screens and Germs

Your cell phone screen is probably dirtier than your toilet seat. According to a 2011 study by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, one in six cell phones had traces of faecal matter. Users who don’t wash their hands after going to the toilet may end up contaminating their phone screens with harmful bacteria like E.coli, which causes fever, vomiting and diarrhoea. Cell Phone Giving You Acne? 5 Unexpectedly Germy Everyday Objects That Are Damaging Your Skin.

2. Cell Phones and Eye Problems

Staring into the cell phone screens can cause your eyes to go dry. The device is meant for close-range reading. So your eyes have to work hard to adjust to the graphics and text constantly. This obviously takes a toll on your eyes, leading to constant eye problems such as dryness, redness, watering of eyes and blurred vision.

3. Cell Phones and Text Necks

Text neck is the symptom associated with excessive cell phone usage. Looking down at your phone from time to time puts pressure on your neck. Using too much phone every day can lead to upper back pain, shoulder pain, pinched nerve and muscle spasm. Smartphone Side Effects: How Texting Can Seriously Mess Up Your Neck and Spine.

4. Cell Phones and Sleep Disorders

Sleep quality of cell phone users often leaves a lot to be desired. The blue light emitted by the screens can affect melanin production, which controls your cycle of sleep. The more you stare at your phone, the less sleep you will get. Sleep deprivation, in turn, can exacerbate many underlying health conditions.

5. Cell Phones and Headaches

People who are sensitive to light often report migraines whenever they use their cell phones a lot. Long hours of staring into the screen cause strain in the eyes and neck, triggering migraines. Horns Growing on Human Skulls Due to Smartphone Use, Says Study; Here’s Why You Should Be Worried.

Cell phones are a necessity in the world today. But it’s not without its negatives. To prevent health episodes like piles, infections, sleep disorders and eye problems, limiting exposure to your cell phones. Keep a strict protocol for sleeping, eating and other daily activities, which don’t involve cell phones. Purging bad habits is the only way to curb smartphone addiction and the many hazards that come with it.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 21, 2019 04:19 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).