{"id":3050,"date":"2019-01-07T11:57:44","date_gmt":"2019-01-07T11:57:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.negup.com\/blog\/?p=3050"},"modified":"2025-12-04T10:24:25","modified_gmt":"2025-12-04T10:24:25","slug":"bad-to-sleep-near-your-smartphone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.negup.com\/blog\/bad-to-sleep-near-your-smartphone\/","title":{"rendered":"Bad to Sleep Near Your Smartphone!"},"content":{"rendered":"<span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 5<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span>\n<div class=\"wp-block-rank-math-toc-block\" id=\"rank-math-toc\"><h2>Table of Contents<\/h2><nav><div><div><a href=\"#bad-to-sleep-near-your-smartphone\">Bad to Sleep Near Your Smartphone!<\/a><\/div><div><a href=\"#8b61\">What to make of these findings? Depends on who you ask.<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"graf graf--p graf--hasDropCapModel graf--hasDropCap graf--leading wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"db83\">If you\u2019re like the average American, you probably sleep with your smartphone within arm\u2019s reach. A 2015 Bank of America <a href=\"https:\/\/newsroom.bankofamerica.com\/press-releases\/consumer-banking\/perpetually-plugged-americas-smartphone-obsession-continues-many\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">report<\/a> found that 71 percent of people sleep with or near their phones\u200a\u2014\u200aand that includes the 13 percent who said they slept with their phones in their beds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-medium-font-size\" id=\"bad-to-sleep-near-your-smartphone\">Bad to Sleep Near Your Smartphone!<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"895e\">Maybe you\u2019ve wondered whether keeping your phone nearby is a bad idea\u200a\u2014\u200aperhaps it\u2019s zapping your brain with radio waves or otherwise screwing with your health. It would be comforting if researchers firmly and finally quashed any notions that our devices can cause negative health effects. No such luck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.negup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/smartphone2-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Smartphone\" class=\"wp-image-3053\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.negup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/smartphone2-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.negup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/smartphone2-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.negup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/smartphone2-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.negup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/smartphone2.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"f2c6\">This past November, the U.S. government\u2019s National Toxicology Program wrapped up a 10-year, $30 million <a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"https:\/\/ntp.niehs.nih.gov\/results\/areas\/cellphones\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-href=\"https:\/\/ntp.niehs.nih.gov\/results\/areas\/cellphones\/index.html\" data->study<\/a> on the health effects of cellphone radiation exposure. In essence, the government scientists blasted rats with different levels of radiofrequency radiation (RFR) for varying lengths of time and then watched to see what would happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"graf graf--p graf--startsWithDoubleQuote graf-after--p wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"1b52\">\u201cOur studies showed that radiofrequency radiation at the frequencies and modulations used in cellular telecommunications and under the exposure conditions we used can produce adverse biological effects,\u201d says John Bucher, one of the study\u2019s authors and a senior scientist with the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Specifically, Bucher\u2019s study found \u201cclear evidence\u201d of tumors in the hearts of male rats exposed to RFR, as well as \u201csome evidence\u201d of tumors in the brains and adrenal glands of male rats. They found \u201cequivocal\u201d evidence of adverse effects in female rats, meaning it wasn\u2019t clear if the tumors that turned up were caused by RFR exposure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading graf graf--p graf-after--p has-medium-font-size\" id=\"8b61\">What to make of these findings? Depends on who you ask.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"852\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/www.negup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/smartphone1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3052\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.negup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/smartphone1.jpg 852w, https:\/\/www.negup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/smartphone1-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.negup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/smartphone1-768x433.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 852px) 100vw, 852px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"2016\">Bucher says his study was never intended to be the final word on the issue of cellphone radiation and human health. \u201cWe\u2019re using this to put together follow-up research programs,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"8b94\">Even so, Bucher says there may be some \u201clow\u201d risk when a phone is held against the head or body\u200a\u2014\u200alike if you\u2019re on a call or keeping the phone in your pocket while using some kind of hands-free setup. He says these risks could go up with \u201cprolonged and persistent use,\u201d though at this point, defining each of these terms is guesswork.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"graf graf--p graf--startsWithDoubleQuote graf-after--p wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"f194\">\u201cIf there is a risk, I think it\u2019s minimal,\u201d says Larry Junck, MD, a neuro-oncologist and professor of neurology at the University of Michigan. \u201cWe haven\u2019t seen an increase in brain tumors since mobile phone use has become widespread.\u201d Moreover, Junck says the research showing any mechanistic link between cellphone radiation and brain tumors is inconsistent and \u201cmethodologically flawed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"bcf4\">Others look at the existing research with great concern. \u201cI think there\u2019s compelling evidence that electromagnetic radiation exposure is indeed harmful,\u201d says Joel Moskowitz, director of the Center for Family and Community Health at the University of California, Berkeley. He reels off the findings of a dozen recent studies, including <a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC5417432\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC5417432\/\" data->a 2017 review<\/a> from China that found heavy mobile phone users were at significantly increased risk of glioma\u200a\u2014\u200aa type of malignant tumor in the brain and spinal cord.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"fe55\"><a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hindawi.com\/journals\/jeph\/2018\/7910754\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.hindawi.com\/journals\/jeph\/2018\/7910754\/\" data->A 2018 U.K. study<\/a> found rates of glioblastoma\u200a\u2014\u200aanother cancerous brain tumor\u200a\u2014\u200amore than doubled in England between 1995 and 2015. Specifically, frontal and temporal lobe tumors\u200a\u2014\u200alocations that correspond with where we rest our phones during calls\u200a\u2014\u200ashowed some of the steepest increases. In a follow-up letter to the journal\u2019s editor, the authors of that U.K. study <a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hindawi.com\/journals\/jeph\/2018\/2170208\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.hindawi.com\/journals\/jeph\/2018\/2170208\/\" data->say<\/a> they looked closely at the U.S. data on glioblastoma rates. After adjusting for post-2000 population changes\u200a\u2014\u200achanges they say are not factored into the U.S. Central Brain Tumor Registry and other databases that track tumors\u200a\u2014\u200athey turned up glioblastoma increases similar to the ones they tracked in England.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"960\" height=\"540\" src=\"https:\/\/www.negup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/smartphone3.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3054\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.negup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/smartphone3.jpg 960w, https:\/\/www.negup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/smartphone3-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.negup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/smartphone3-768x432.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"53b6\">Brain tumors aren\u2019t the only worry for cellphone users. \u201cIf you look at modern smartphones, the antennas are in the corners\u200a\u2014\u200aboth upper and lower,\u201d Moskowitz says. But the bulk of the cellular signal is now directed down through the lower antennas, \u201cwhich would make the most significant exposures in the neck area,\u201d he says. He mentions tumors of the neck and thyroid as particularly concerning. And there again, some data suggest rates are rising. Rates of thyroid cancer have tripled in the past three decades and are increasing more rapidly than any other type of cancer, <a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cancer.org\/cancer\/thyroid-cancer\/about\/key-statistics.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.cancer.org\/cancer\/thyroid-cancer\/about\/key-statistics.html\" data->according to<\/a> the American Cancer Society (ACS).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"4139\">But none of these findings constitute proof that cellphones are to blame. For example, the ACS says the increased use of tumor-detecting thyroid ultrasounds could explain the uptick in rates of those cancers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote graf graf--pullquote graf--startsWithDoubleQuote graf-after--p is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIf there is a risk, I think it\u2019s minimal.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--pullquote wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"523a\">Why is it so hard to pin down the potential health effects of our devices? One gigantic hurdle is that the technologies these devices employ are constantly evolving, and the research on their health effects is often running a decade or two behind. \u201cMost of the epidemiological studies looking at brain tumor risk collected data in the early to mid-2000s from users who used the old candy bar or flip phones, which were primarily using 1G or 2G cellular technology,\u201d Moskowitz says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"0431\">Meanwhile, the telecom industry is now moving forward with 5G technologies, even though health experts still hardly have any data on 4G, he says. (More than 200 scientists and medical doctors <a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"http:\/\/www.5gappeal.eu\/signatories-to-scientists-5g-appeal\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-href=\"http:\/\/www.5gappeal.eu\/signatories-to-scientists-5g-appeal\/\" data->have called for a moratorium<\/a> on the rollout of 5G until its safety can be assured.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"8b25\"><span class=\"markup--quote markup--p-quote is-other\" data-creator-ids=\"anon\">Since this might keep you up at night, let\u2019s get back to the question of sleeping next to your phone. Moskowitz says tumor risks don\u2019t top his list of concerns, because a sleeper\u2019s phone isn\u2019t steadily transmitting the way it does during a call. But he says it\u2019s likely that low-level nighttime radiation exposures could disrupt sleep and cause other neurological effects. He points to <a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/S0013935115301407\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/S0013935115301407\" data->a small 2016 study<\/a> from Germany that found exposing men to cellphone radiation seemed to change the structure of their sleep\u200a\u2014\u200aincreasing or decreasing REM and other sleep parameters\u200a\u2014\u200athough the health ramifications of these shifts aren\u2019t clear.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"8e7d\">Whatever risks may exist could be heightened in kids. \u201cI personally believe that children should be dissuaded from sleeping with a phone under their pillow, as RFR is thought to penetrate farther into their tissues than in adults,\u201d Bucher says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"2efa\">The obvious advice is to keep your phone out of the bedroom. Or, if you use it as an alarm clock, you could switch it into airplane mode, which stops it from sending or receiving signals, Moskowitz says. He also repeats the longstanding advice to use a wired hands-free device when making calls and to keep your phone away from your body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p graf--trailing wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"29e8\">Start with all that and hope that the cellphone-radiation Pollyannas turn out to be right.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you\u2019re like the average American, you probably sleep with your smartphone within arm\u2019s reach. A 2015 Bank of America report found that 71 percent of people sleep with or near their phones\u200a\u2014\u200aand that includes the 13 percent who said they slept with their phones in their beds. Bad to Sleep Near Your Smartphone! Maybe [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3051,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[52],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3050","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"blocksy_meta":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.negup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/smartphone.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.negup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3050","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.negup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.negup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.negup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.negup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3050"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.negup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3050\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10814,"href":"https:\/\/www.negup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3050\/revisions\/10814"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.negup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3051"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.negup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3050"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.negup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3050"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.negup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3050"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}