Why Men Shouldn't Use Smartphones at Night? Scientists Find SHOCKING Health Effects

In a recently published study, scientists showed how the use of devices, such as smartphones and tablets, can affect men's health

By Bhaswati Guha Majumder
August 30, 2020 17:07 +08

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Scientists said men should think twice before looking at their smartphones at night as research revealed that the greater exposure to light-emitting devices during some specific times is linked to poor sperm quality. This is the first study which showed the relation between declining sperm quality and exposure time to short-wavelength light emitted from devices.

Lead author of the recent study, Dr. Amit Green, of the Sleep and Fatigue Institute at the Assuta Medical Centre in Tel Aviv, Israel said tablet and smartphone use in the evening and after bedtime was correlated with the decline in sperm quality. "Furthermore, smartphone use in the evening, tablet use after bedtime, and television use in the evening were all correlated with the decline of sperm concentration," said the researcher.

Men's Health Matters

Smartphone — Man looking at smartphone at night Wikimedia commons

The scientist who carried out this new study obtained semen samples from 116 men, aged between 21 and 59—who are undergoing fertility evaluation. All the participants were given a questionnaire to fill up that included questions about their sleep habits and the use of electronic devices.

As per the new study—which was published recently in an online supplement of the journal Sleep for Virtual SLEEP 2020—scientists also found a correlation between longer sleep duration and higher sperm total and greater progressive motility, while in contrast, greater sleepiness was associated with poorer sperm quality.

Smart Gadget and Health Risk

Millions of people use smart devices, mostly smartphones, starting from the morning till night, but most of them are still unaware of health risk factors related to such digital practice. To understand how such devices can affect human health a large number of studies have been conducted over the past two decades.

The UN agency, World Health Organization (WHO) said on its website that at the frequencies used by mobile phones, most of the energy is absorbed by the skin and other superficial tissues, resulting in negligible temperature rise in the brain or any other organs of the body. The agency also said, "There are some indications of an increased risk of glioma for those who reported the highest 10 percent of cumulative hours of cell phone use, although there was no consistent trend of increasing risk with greater duration of use."

However, there few more issues which can occur in terms of excessive use of smart devices, and these are:

Text Neck Syndrome: This is a modern age term coined by US chiropractor Dr. DL Fishman to describe stress injury and pain in the neck due to excessive watching or texting on hand-held devices over a long period of time.
Cubital Tunnel Syndrome: It is a problem with the ulnar nerve, which passes through the inside of the elbow. If people lean on their elbows to text or bend them to hold the phone to ear, it can irritate the ulnar nerve.
Sleep Issues: Too much of any light after the sun goes down can make people suffer to fall asleep and the blue light of a smartphone is also considered bad for health.
Tighter Thumb: This can happen when the sheath surrounding the thumb tendon thickens so that the tendon can't slide freely. Lots of texting or typing on a mobile phone, or just holding a smartphone tightly, can cause trigger thumb.
Thumb Arthritis: Even though it is not clear whether cellphones can actually cause thump arthritis, it can definitely make the symptoms worse.
Eye Issues: The shorter wavelength of the blue light from smartphones, can tire the eyes very quickly and cause pain. It may even damage the cornea and affect the vision.