Is your cellphone making you obese?

Jumping up and down, running at breakneck speed, scaling heights, beating up the bad guys, farming virtual tomatoes — all in a day’s work. This may sound like a hectic list of things to do, however, the downside is that it’s all being done virtually, confined to your desk or couch. As a result, you are becoming more lazy with each passing day, and falling into the trap of leading a sedentary lifestyle. This  may disrupt physical activity and reduce cardiorespiratory fitness and excessive weight gain according to a new study.

Your smartphone has a new feature — making you fat
In addition to the fancy features that your cell phone promises, you should also add a new one to that list — excessive weight gain. These were the findings of a recent study, in which, users were divided into three categories, with the greatest users being those who clocked in more than 14 hours a day on their phones.

Heavy users were found to be more inclined towards sedentary behaviour, and a physical check also revealed that they had lower levels of cardiorespiratory fitness than those who used their phones less.

Experts take on it
Dr Ramen Goel, bariatric surgeon, consultant at Hinduja Healthcare Surgical Khar, says, “’This is a unique study which for the first time confirms what we always expected that excessive use of cell phone will reduce availability of time for physical activity. Any increase in food intake or substantial reduction in activity, as reflected in this study, will result in weight gain and poor health.  It is time that people especially youngsters realise that the use of this device of convenience should be restricted to avoid health complications.’’

Dr Sanjay Borude, general surgeon, Jaslok Hospital and Research Centre, adds, “High frequent cell phone users tend to skip physical activity and as a result put on weight. It also leads to bad lifestyle that is the primary cause of morbid obesity.”

While some may argue that cell phones also have apps that encourage you to live a healthy lifestyle, Dr Sanjay says that excessive users won’t have time for it as they are busy communicating, playing games or listening to music, and with the introduction of apps allowing you to order food online, most of the time the choices that this group make is far from healthy.”

How your cell phone is taking a toll on your health?
Phones are affecting children’s eyesight in the long-term. It’s possible that youngsters who stare at screens all day could be near-sighted as they grow up. In fact, research suggests that using smartphones could leave us needing glasses sooner. While smartphones aren’t necessarily damaging our  eyes, they are demanding more  of them. We are expected to focus at three different distances — long distance, on a newspaper or book, and on smartphones. So this could mean more than one pair of reading glasses or more expensive varifocals.

The solution
Enlarge the size of the text on your phone, and to avoid glare, try to use your phone in a well-lit room and don’t use it for more than 15 minutes at a time.  It’s recommended that  you do not allow children aged three to seven to play games on a small screen for more than half an hour a day. This rises to up to two hours for those over 16.

Leaving spots
Considering how hot phone screens get after a long call, it’s no surprise that some experts are concerned they can give you pimples or sweat rash. On average, a handset had 18 times more harmful germs on it than the flush handle in a men’s lavatory.

The solution
If you’re prone to spots, use a hands-free kit and wipe your phone with a saline solution.

Could damage hearing
Playing music through headphones loudly can cause noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL), which can make it difficult to hear speech, especially when there’s background noise.

The solution
Keep sound levels as low as you can and don’t listen for too long.

Causing insomnia
Computers, laptops, tablets and phones tend to give off a blue light, thought to interfere with the natural hormones, such as melatonin, which help us  to sleep.

The solution
Dimming the brightness settings on your phone and holding it at least 14 inches  from your face while using it will reduce its potential to impede sleep. Better yet, buy an old-fashioned alarm clock and leave your phone outside your bedroom at night.