10 Reasons why Cell Phones are bad for your health

Cell phones have revolutionized communication in the 21st century, and their use has seen a rapid increase in recent years.

As of January 2014, 90 percent of American adults owned a cell phone, 32 percent owned an e-reader and 42 percent owned a tablet computer, according to a Pew Internet & American Life Project Survey. The data itself highlights the popularity of mobile devices.

People are seen constantly checking their devices for messages, alerts or calls, even when the device isn’t ringing or vibrating.

This addiction to cell phones is unknowingly destroying your health. Long-term exposure to electromagnetic radiation from cell phones hampers your health in many ways.

In fact, various studies have highlighted the negative side of cell phones.

Here are the 10 reasons why cell phones are bad for your health.

1. Hinders Sleep

Using a mobile phone at night can hinder your sleep. The light emanating from mobile phones affects the circadian rhythm of your body and prompts production of hormones that promote alertness.

Moreover, if you keep your phone by your bed, there is a high chance of getting awakened in the middle of the night due to mobile rings and vibrations.

According to a 2011 study published in BMC Public, sleep disorders as well as stress and symptoms of depression were associated with high mobile phone usage. In this study, young adults (20 to 24 years old) were studied over the course of 1 year.

Another 2015 study published in Paediatrics found that sleeping near a small screen, sleeping with a TV in the room and more screen time were associated with shorter sleep durations.

Moreover, a 2014 study published in the Journal of Microscopy and Ultrastructure reports that children absorb more microwave radiation than adults. Hence, parents should be strict about how long their children are using mobile phones.

Avoid using mobile phones at night to enjoy sound sleep.

Remember that sleeplessness and sleep disorders are a direct cause of metabolic syndrome, a cluster of diseases such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension, high levels of bad cholesterol, high triglyceride levels and excessive belly fat.

2. Spreads Infections

If you use your phone in the restroom, hospital, market or other public places, there is a high chance that your device is highly contaminated.

In a 2011 study conducted at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and Queen Mary, University of London, researchers measured about 400 cell phones for levels of bacteria. Shockingly, 92 percent of the phones had bacteria on them.

A 2009 study published in the Journal of Hospital Infection found mobile communication devices as potential reservoirs of nosocomial pathogens. Nosocomial pathogens are pathogens acquired in hospitals and other healthcare facilities.

Even a 2013 study published in the Journal of Perinatology reports that bacterial contamination of cell phones may serve as vectors for nosocomial infection in the neonatal intensive care unit.

The transmission of bacteria from cell phones to hands may not be eliminated using antimicrobial gels.

Another study published in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery in 2015 found orthopedic surgeons’ cell phones to be a potential source of nosocomial infection in the operating room and recommended cell phone cleaning more frequently than once a week.

So, disinfecting your cell phone is always a good idea to prevent the spread of germs to yourself or others.

3. Raises Heart Problems

Radiation from cell phones is not good for your heart health. The electromagnetic energy emitted by cell phones causes oxidation and weakens cell membranes.

Radiation emitted by cordless phones, including mobiles, causes heart irregularities, according to a 2010 study published in the European Journal of Oncology.

A 2012 study published in the Annals of Medical & Health Sciences Research reports that electromagnetic energy radiated from mobile phones is harmful for people with ischemic heart disease as it alters electrocardiographic activity.

A recent 2013 study by the American Society for Hypertension shows that cell phone use causes high blood pressure.

Looking at the negative impacts on your heart health, avoid keeping your cell phone in the front pocket of your shirt. People with a pacemaker should strictly follow this rule.

4. Affects Reproductive Health

Cell phone radiation also has a negative effect on reproductive health, especially in men. The harmful radiation emitted by cell phones can lead to slower or damaged sperm and decreased sperm concentration.

A 2007 study published in Reproductive Biomedicine Online suggested that excessive cell phone use plays a role in male infertility.

Another 2007 study published in the Annals of Agricultural and Environmental Medicine analysed the effect of GSM equipment on the semen.

Researchers concluded that an increase in the percentage of sperm cells of abnormal morphology is associated with the duration of exposure to the harmful waves emitted by the phone.

Later, a 2008 study published in Fertility and Sterility reported that high cell phone use was directly and significantly associated with a low sperm count and overall infertility in men.

Cell phones decrease the semen quality by decreasing the sperm count, motility, viability and normal morphology.

5. Increases Stress

If you have the habit of checking your mobile phone every few minutes, it can be the reason behind your increasing stress level. Plus, the constant ringing, vibrating alerts and reminders can lead to more stress.

A 2011 study published in BMC Public Health reports that extensive use of mobile phones has a direct connection to stress levels. It can also cause sleep disturbances and symptoms of depression.

Stress itself is not good for your health in many ways. Apart from stress, excessive cell phone use can be a risk factor for mental health issues in young adults.

A study published in Computers in Human Behaviour in 2016 found that use of technologies for escapism is related to higher depression and anxiety scores. However, those who use technologies to avoid being bored do not suffer from negative mental health.

6. Impairs Hearing

The harmful radiation emitted by cell phones can damage the delicate tissues of the inner ears. It can lead to high-frequency hearing loss.

A 2006 study published in Electromagnetic Biology and Medicine shows that a higher degree of hearing loss is associated with long-term exposure to electromagnetic fields generated by cell phones.

A more recent 2014 study published in the Indian Journal of Otolaryngology and Head & Neck Surgery shows that the use of mobile phones predisposes a person to hearing loss in the dominant ear (the ear that is most often used with the mobile phone).

If while using a cell phone you notice symptoms like ear warmth, ear fullness and ringing in the ears (tinnitus), you need to consider these sensations as early warning signs of an auditory abnormality.

Dholavira - Harappan culture

General

At the height of our civilization, our technological development, our social and material complexity, all signs point to progress, we often think. And yet, all is not as it seems and once in a while it occurs to us to look into the past to discover our future.

Dholavira is the larger of the two most remarkable excavations of the Indus Valley Civilization or Harappan culture, dating back to 4500 years ago. While the other site, Lothal, is more exhaustively educated and easier to reach, a visit to Lothal only complements, rather than replaces, a visit to Dholavira. What this site offers you, in the intense environment that comes with being surrounded by the Great Rann of Kutch, is a unique insight into the pioneering Harappan mind, with one of the world’s earliest and best planned water conservation systems and what might be the world’s first signboards, written in ancient Indus script.

The excavation also tells the story of the 7 stages of the civilization, from development to maturity to decay, the last of which hints at a strange piece of history, with more questions than answers. After the peak of the civilization Dholavira was temporarily abandoned, after which it seems that the settlers returned with a markedly de-urbanized culture. There are hints that they willingly chose to simplify their lives, rather than try to ride the collapse of their once glorified civilization. Here, on the ruins, you will have a chance to contemplate what progress and civilization mean and what, if anything, is truly permanent.

Background

Dholavira, known locally as Kotada (which means large fort), sprawls over 100 hectares of semi-arid land at the north-west corner of the island of Khadir, one of the islands in the Great Rann of Kutch that remain above the flood-plains in months when the rest of the desert is submerged by the monsoon. Dholavira has two seasonal nallahs, or streams: Mansar in the north, and Manhar in the south. The journey to Dholavira itself is beautiful, taking you through the saline desert plains of the Great Rann, where you can spot wildlife such as chinkara gazelle, nilgai (blue bull, the largest antelope in Asia), flamingos and other bird life.

The site was unearthed by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in 1967, but has been systematically excavated only since 1990. Artefacts include terracotta pottery, beads, gold and copper ornaments, seals, fish hooks, animal figurines, tools, urns, and some imported vessels that indicate trade links with lands as far away as Mesopotamia. Also found were 10 large stone inscriptions, carved in Indus Valley script, perhaps the world’s earliest signboard. These are among the most important discoveries about the Indus Valley Civilization, but remain tantalizingly un-deciphered.

The remains show an imposing citadel in the center, with a middle and lower town, each fortified separately, built with pleasingly smoothed structures of sun-dried brick and stone masonry, and with remarkable town planning. Well laid out lanes lead outward systematically from the citadel, with a well-constructed underground drainage system for sanitation. There is a large stadium with a complex structure and seating arrangement.

Finally, Dholavira has one of the world’s earliest water conservation systems ever excavated. Satellite pictures show a reservoir underground, an expertly constructed rainwater harvesting system extending from the walls of the city, without which the settlement would not have thrived in the sparse rainfall of the desert.

Dholavira is one of the two largest Harappan sites in India, and 5th largest in the subcontinent. Like Lothal, it passed through all the stages of the Harappan culture from circa 2900 BC to 1500 BC, while most others saw only the early or late stages.

The excavation found a decline of the civilization in the 5th of 7th stages, after which were signs of a temporary desertion of the site. Settlers returned later in the late Harappan stage, with a change in their pottery, influenced by cultures found at sites in Sindh, South Rajasthan and other parts of Gujurat, but they did not bring the return of the civilization. Their houses, for example, were built in an entirely new form that was circular (bhungas), and the material signs were strikingly deurbanized and simplified. Perhaps the last stage of the powerful civilization had become aware of its future, and was preparing itself for a gradual end.