As we all know, cell phones are harmful in general, but they are especially dangerous if you put them under your pillow while you are sleeping. The reason why it is dangerous is because you will be overexposed to potentially harmful radiation.
Following are several news stories on the issue of sleeping with a cell phone under your pillow:
CBS – CBS directly addresses sleeping with a cell phone under your pillow or nex to your head with the article entitled “Cell phones & cancer: 8 dumb ways to boost possible risk”. The following is a quote from the article:
“Some people are so attached to their cell phones that they sleep with them on their nightstand or even under their pillow. Bad idea. Cell phones pump out electromagnetic radiation whenever they’re on – which means sleeping with one nearby boosts your exposure all night long. What to do? Put the phone on “airplane mode” (which shuts down the transceiver) or turn it off. If you need to be available for calls, place the phone several feet away from your bed.”
CBS – a CBS affiliate out of Dallas, in 2011, published an artcal which talks about how ceel phones affect and even alter our brain. As the article states: “…doctors frown on sleeping with a cell phone under your pillow or directly next to your bed.”
Dr. Joel Moskowitz, director of the Center for Family and Community Health at University of California’s Berkeley’s School of Public Health strongly forbids letting children sleep with their phones under their pillows. Moreover, he also dissapproves of carrying cell phones in pockets due to potential radiation exposure to reproductive systems.
Daily Mail – there are some additional reasons for not sleeping near cell phones, provided by 2014 article from the UK’s Daily Mail. This articles shows the results from a science study which confirmed that the light and radiation from cell phones is linked to sleep disruptions. Also, you can recieve a message or a call that will wake you up and disrupt your sleep.
Huffington Post – yet another reson why you should not sleep with your cell phone near you is provided by an august 2014 Huffington Post article. If you read this article, you will find out how a cell phone caught fire under a pill of a 13-year-old Arel Tolfree.Luckily, the girl was not harmed in the incident.
– An August 2014 states that 44% of cell phone users have slept with their phones next to their bed. It states that these gadgets with LED screens which give off “blue light” inhibit the production of melatonin, a hormone that regulates sleep.
Decrease exposure to cell phone radiation
The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) provides a webpage committed to decreasing exposure to cell phone radiation. According to them, the electromagnetic radiation waves emitted by cell phones are a potential carcinogen, but, on the other hand, many soruces such as the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA), have not found that cell phones emit enough radiation to cause cancer. There has been no solid scientific evidence of an association between cancer and cell phone usage. However, people should milit cell phone use as much as they can, just to prevent health problems.
The following are tips provided by PBS to decrease exposure to cell phone radiation:
Use Hands-Free Devices – According to PBS, going hands-free with a Bluetooth or headset can reduce SAR levels as long as they are removed from the head when not in use.
SAR Level – if you didn’t know, every cell phone has a SAR which is a specific absorption rate that indicates the amount of radiation emitted. So, when buying a cell phone, look for one with a low SAR level which suggests lower radiation levels.
Restrict Talking Time – If you want to reduce the exposure to radiation, you need to limit your time you spend on talking on your cell phone. You can text instead of talking, it is much safer because it reduces exposure of the cranium to potential radiation.
Distance –According to PBS, sleeping away from cell phones is another prevention and advises against carrying them in front pockets.
Ignore the Hype –Keeping things in perspective can be helpful, even though this is not a tip for limiting exposure to cell phone radiation. It is not worth feeling overly anxious in regards to the extensive publicity on cell phones and cancer, due to the fact that there are no firm evidences to this matter.
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