These are the five ways our phones might be ruining our health

Honestly, we can't live without our phones and usually – thank god – we never really have to. 

But our digital dependency isn't necessarily the healthiest habit to have. Look out for these scary side effects of constantly using your mobile phone – they'll make you feel much better the next time your battery dies. 

It strains your eyes

Whenever you stare at your phone screen (or alternate between a phone and computer screen) for a prolonged amount of time, you risk dry eyes from blinking less, headaches, blurred vision and general eye strain. 

Looking into the distance for a few minutes can help, as well as an anti-glare screen for your computer and frequent blinking. 

 

It can dull your memory

With a smartphone handy, there's no reason to memorise things you know you can look up easily – like phone numbers for instance. And when you stop memorising facts and figures, your memory can become a little lazy. 

Try a few memory games to keep your brain at top speed. 

 

It interferes with your sleep

If you're part of the 95 percent of people who use an electronic device just before bedtime, the artificial blue light could suppress the hormones that promote sleep and make it harder to go to bed.

Of course there's the added problem of your phone vibrating and beeping that can wake you up during the night. Sleep mode is so underrated on phones and late night texts are like, Really?!

 

It can cause breakouts

Constantly placing your fingers on your phone can actually spread a lot of germs. So, when you take a call, all those germs and bacteria are transferred to your face. Ew, right? Always carry around some hand sanitizer to help keep those nasty germs at bay. 

 

It triggers FOMO

Ah, the Fear Of Missing Out. Now, we know this isn't necessarily related to our health, but it can make us feel seriously down. Scrolling through photos of friends on a night out while your sitting at home in your PJs can make the best of us feel down in the dumps.