Try and think about the last time you purposely left your house without your mobile phone.
You can’t think of a single moment, can you? Smartphones and devices have become an integral part of our lives and are with us wherever we go.
You can’t blame anyone for that, it’s just what our lives have evolved into. But have you thought about what our mobile phones are doing to our health?
Although the science behind how radio frequencies and electromagnetic radiation affects the human body is still debatable, there’s no harm in reducing your exposure to cellphone radiation.
What are the effects of mobile phone radiation on humans?
Mobile phones emit electromagnetic radiation in the form of radiofrequency energy that can potentially be absorbed by the human body.
Some studies show the adverse health effects of RF energy to be carcinogenic, especially for those who are heavy users.
Although the scientific evidence does not strongly identify whether or not cellphone radiation directly causes cancers, studies acknowledge that there are risks that need to be investigated further.
Some other studies have uncovered less extreme effects. These studies explore how exposure to radiation creates changes in brain activity and can affect sleeping patterns.
How can you reduce exposure to mobile phone radiation?
Lessen mobile phone use
The reality is we’re all glued to our smartphones, from the moment we wake up until the minute before we sleep. We don’t allow ourselves adequate breaks from our phones.
As a simple rule, the less exposure you have to your phone, the less you are exposed to electromagnetic radiation and radiofrequency energy.
For some people it’s near impossible to stay away from their phone, so we’ve discovered some ways you can still use your mobile phone while reducing radiation exposure.
Use speakerphone during calls
Most of the risks associated with mobile phone radiation stem from keeping your device too close to your head; the radiation is too close to your brain every time you place your phone next to your ears which causes the most concern for risks.
Going hands-free during phone calls allows for more distance between your device and your head.
Send a text instead of calling
Although it takes a little more effort, sending a text is a great way to reduce direct radiation exposure.
By texting instead of calling, your phone is further away from your body and therefore you are less likely to be affected by radiation.
Only use your phone when the signal is strong
When you have weak phone reception, your phone amplifies its transmitting power to better connect to the nearest cell towers.
During the increased amplification, there is higher energy use and more electromagnetic radiation is emitted from your device.
So before you make a call, always make sure to check your phone’s signal bars to ensure that you have good reception.
Switch to airplane mode
Airplane mode is a feature that’s integrated into mobile phones even before smartphones were invented.
Switching your phone to airplane mode shuts off its cellular function, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi functionality to ensure that there are no forms of mobile radiation and frequencies being transmitted and received by your device.
While the airplane mode is designed to prevent interference with communications when you’re on board a plane, it’s also valuable to cut off radiation emissions from your mobile device. Try switching your phone to airplane mode when you’re not using it.
Use a wired headset or earphones
Using wired headsets and earphones allows you to effectively listen and communicate during your calls with your phone being placed at a considerable distance from your body.
Make sure that you’re using a wired headset instead of those connected via Bluetooth as the communication protocols of Bluetooth may emit radiation directly through your ears.
Call using a landline phone
When working from home or in the office, it’s likely that you’ll have access to a landline phone.
Whilst landline phones have their limitations, they are a great option if you are looking to reduce your exposure to radiation and electromagnetic fields.
Cordless phones are exempt as an alternative since the wireless communication of a cordless phone to its base station emits high amounts of radiofrequency.
Shorten your calls
Life happens. You can’t always answer a call wearing a wired headset or earphones, or keep it on loudspeaker. You might need to take a private call, or be in proximity of people you don’t want to disturb.
Well, you have no choice but to put your phone close to your ear.
In these cases, try to shorten the amount of time you would be on a call; less talking time with your phone placed right at your ear leads to less radiation exposure.
When you have to go for a little longer, you could also switch from ear to ear to reduce exposure on just one side of your head.
Don’t sleep with your phone in bed
A lot of people sleep with their mobile phones on their bed for different reasons; using the phone as an alarm clock, watching movies at night, texting before sleeping, etc.
When you sleep with your phone beside you, you’re exposing yourself to a higher amount of radiation during your slumber, plus you’re more likely to have a disrupted sleep.
Many people have a habit: put their mobile phone under the pillow before going to sleep. It is not recommended as pillows cannot block the radiation from the mobile phone. For your health, please do not put your mobile phone under the pillow while you are sleeping.
Some may claim that the mobile phone has become part of our life, and we can’t sleep well when it is not with us while sleeping. In that case, a comfortable pillow might help a lot!
With all the squish, plus all the support, the Ecosa pillow perfectly contours to your head and neck at all pressure points. For sure it can provide a comfortable and better sleep for you.
Check out: Ecosa’s Pillow with perfect curve
Summary
There are so many ways for you to reduce your exposure to radiation, but you’ll need to commit to changing your mobile phone habits. Science has yet to provide concrete evidence that radiation emitted from mobile devices is harmful to our body, but we do know that it can affect our quality of sleep.
So it makes sense to limit our exposure where we can.
Even if the studies are still inconclusive, there’s no harm in reducing your exposure to radiation, and in turn you might find yourself weaning off excessive phone usage, which isn’t a bad thing.