When was the last time you checked your phone? Are you reading this on your mobile? A recent study shows the average person checks theirs 25 times a day, or 36 if you’re in the tech-hungrier 24-35 age bracket.
We've become hard-wired to treat our digital lives as a priority. We're anxious without our smartphone to hand and it’s seen us labelled a nation of phone zombies - hungry for tech and with a stance alarmingly similar to actual zombies. And our fixation with our phones can cause genuine health risks. Our skin, posture, breathing and back and shoulders are all effected by craning over our phones. It's even taking its toll on our facial muscles - Inge Theron, founder of Face Gym, notes ‘smart phone scowl' is an emerging side-effect.
Giving up tech for good is obviously unrealistic, but being more mindful of how we hold ourselves when we use our phones is important for our long-term health.
We spoke to the beauty experts on the front-line of combatting the physical impacts of our phones to find out the side-effects we need to know and how to prevent them.
ON OUR SKIN
Every time we use our phones we transfer whatever bacteria is on our fingers to the screen, and subsequently to our faces whenever we pick up a call. ‘Our phones carry our personal microbiome, which according to recent studies, harbours more than 7,000 different types of bacteria,’ well-being expert and founder of the De Mamiel Collection beauty line, Annee de Mamiel explains. And while most of these bacterias aren’t harmful and are ‘typically found in the human mouth and on the skin’, she notes that ‘other nasties were also present’ which could cause infection, congestion and even acne.
The simple solution? Prevent the spread of the bacteria to your skin by cleaning the screen of your phone regularly. ‘Wipe your phone screen with a dab of de Mamiel Altitude Oil (£26) on a soft cloth as it is a highly antibacterial, antiviral blend. Wipe your hands over with a few drops too,’ advises Annee.
ON OUR NECK AND LUNGS
Hunching over our phones while we walk or sit is not only affecting our posture, but also our ability to breathe deeply.
Annee points out that craning over our phones 'encourages our breathing to be shallower because our lungs can't fully expand and this means that we are not oxygenating our bodies efficiently.' Not only this but this stance ‘is ageing as it shortens our neck muscles.’
But it’s simple to correct this ageing stance by holding your device up to eye level - which will also help prevent what beauty experts have dubbed ‘tech neck’ - a wrinkling of the neck, caused by slumping, said to be causing premature folds and the sagging of our jowels.
Annee advises ‘If you are sitting, put your bottom to the back of the seat mould, your back against the seat-back all the way up and tuck your chin in.’
ON OUR BACK AND SPINE
Your head is heavy - not just because of information overload, but literally, too.
Annee reminds us that the average human head weighs ‘between 8 and 10 pounds’. So by sloping forward we are putting unnecessary strain on our backs. ‘There is also a concern about osteoporosis with this forward head posture,’ she explains. ‘For every inch that your head is tilted forward, it adds another 10 pounds to the weight your neck is holding up. So if your head is pushed forward just 3 inches, that’s 30 extra pounds of strain going through our vertebrae.’
So before you reply to that string of Whatsapps, readjust your posture first - your back will thank you. Annee advises: ‘Form a habit so that each time you pick up your phone, adjust your spine and imagine your head is being pulled up by a piece of string from the crown. Better still if you are on the phone, walk and talk it is better for your posture and it keeps your qi flowing!’
ON OUR JAW AND CHEEK MUSCLES
The pressure of keeping up with so many outlets of communication doesn’t only affect you mentally, it also shows in the tension it creates in your facial muscles.
Inge Theron, founder of Face Gym describes what she calls ‘smart phone scowl.’ ‘Most of my clients have incredible tension in the jaw and the brow from squinting, typing and often raging at someone from their tiny keyboard,’ she says. This gives all new meaning to bitchy resting face.
As well as simply stepping away from your handset in times of stress, Inge says treating your face to a massage, using a facial roller can release the tension and ease your muscles to alleviate any sign of that scowl!
Of course, learning to limit the number of times you reach for your handset is a sure-fire way to alleviate its less than friendly side-effects. But our take-away advice: when those calls and messages do come in remember - eyes forward, shoulders back.
To start soothing the skin woes from your phone, here's our top beauty picks.*** ***
