Our smartphones allow us to communicate digitally at lightning speed with anyone in the world, and it would seem that they are leading us to become not so smart at communicating and interacting with each other in real life.
The impact on sleep is also significant with many people admitting to sleeping with their phone under their pillow or having it bedside. Rather than yawn, roll over and acknowledge your partner, a new habit of checking the phone for any cyber-activity has formed, never mind checking the real human lying next to you. On a side note, research shows that smart phones are having adverse effects on sleep health due to too much stimulation, blue/green light omission and rising levels of anxiety caused by the dependence on the device.
Recognizing that you have an issue with your phone dependency is the first step towards nipping the habit in the bud. Here are some behaviors that might lead you to reassess your relationship with your phone.
- When your need to check or be with your phone starts to impact on your relationships, work or ability to focus on a daily activity.
- When you must sleep with your phone or have it bedside
- Feeling anxious or excessively upset when you are without your phone
- Getting lost or completely preoccupied with your phone (for example, hours spent engrossed in social media)
- A physical need to have your phone with you at all times
- Dangerous or irresponsible use of phone such as texting or checking your phone while driving
Like all things in life, moderation is the key and this is also true of phone and technology use.
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