Can the heart be affected by cell phone use? See if this is true or a myth in the text below.
A study conducted by experts at Southern Medical University in China has found that putting your phone aside for a while is good for your health. In fact, according to research, talking on the phone for just half an hour a week can increase the risk of high blood pressure. To reach these results, the experiment published in the European Heart Journal – Digital Health analyzed 200,000 adults in the United Kingdom over 12 years.
The information was provided in the form of a form asking, for example, how many years they had been using a cell phone and how many hours per week they spent on it. Check out the results of the study below.
What does the research say?
According to the results, people who talk on their smartphones for 30 minutes or more per week have a 12% higher risk of hypertension than those who spend less time using this device. This is equivalent to using your phone for just 4 minutes and 17 seconds per day. Furthermore, when the scientists analyzed the data in more detail, they found that people who spent more than 6 hours using their phones per week had a 25% higher risk of developing high blood pressure.
Xianhui Qin, one of the study's authors, said the results show that talking on a cell phone does not affect the risk of developing high blood pressure, as long as the duration of the weekly call is less than half an hour.
Why can cell phones cause high blood pressure?
The electromagnetic field emitted by the phone may be linked to this phenomenon. The researchers explain that cell phones emit low-level radiofrequency energy. Studies have shown that this energy is associated with increased blood pressure after short-term exposure. The study authors said the findings raise important questions about the safety of phones when making or receiving calls, especially for users who make them frequently. “More research is needed to replicate the results, but until then, it seems prudent to minimize phone calls to protect health from the heart,” concluded Qin.
Other diseases
Checking social media or playing a quick game on your phone while you’re on the toilet may seem harmless. However, experts say this habit can increase your risk of hemorrhoids. The reason is that sitting on the toilet for too long can put pressure on the hemorrhoid tissue, causing the veins around the rectum and anus to swell.
Additionally, in more severe cases, sitting for long periods of time on the toilet with a cell phone can increase the risk of rectal prolapse, a condition in which parts of the intestine protrude outside the anus.
How does using your cell phone in the bathroom increase your risk of hemorrhoids?
Hemorrhoids can be external or internal. When external, they look like varicose veins or blood clots and can be seen on the edge of the anus. When internal, they are located above the anal sphincter and can cause more acute symptoms. This is because people tend to spend more time on the toilet when they are using their cell phones. And sitting on the toilet for too long, especially sitting on a hard surface, can put pressure on the hemorrhoid tissue. This ends up contributing to inflammation and swelling of the veins around the rectum and anus.
A study conducted by Yuzuncu Yl University in Turkey also studied the same topic and concluded that using a cell phone in the bathroom causes straining during defecation. The Turkish study analyzed about 100 patients with and without hemorrhoids, aged between 16 and 65, for seven months. According to the researchers, people who regularly take their smartphones to the bathroom will continue their straining to defecate even when it is no longer necessary. This leads to increased pressure on the rectal veins, causing hemorrhoids.
