Pain, sleep disturbance linked with use of smartphones by students —Study

Despite the advantages associated with smartphones, its high rate of utilisation has been associated with pain, sleep disturbance and falls among undergraduate students of Bayero University Kano, a study has said.

In a new study, experts listed common health hazards associated with the use of smartphones among these students as backache (31 per cent), headache (32.5 per cent), neck pain (38.5 per cent), sleep disturbances (33.8 per cent), fatigue (32 per cent) and falls (37.8 per cent).

The study, which included 400 final year students of the university between the ages of 18 and 24 years, said an overwhelming majority (95 per cent) of the respondents have experienced health hazards associated with the use of smartphones.

The researchers cited using phones in a poorly lighted place (52 per cent), writing text message while driving (32.6 per cent), making calls while driving (44.8per cent), use of phone while walking (44.8per cent) prolong use of phone in bent position (31.3per cent) and prolonged use of phones beyond bedtime (53.3per cent) as reasons for the problems. The 2018 study was published in the Bayero Journal of Medical Laboratory Sciences.

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They stated: “it is therefore important to educate the people on the approaches to the safe use of smartphones in terms of duration of use and positions to assume while using the phones.”

Given that the use of smartphones is associated with numerous health hazards most of which are associated with improper use of the phones, they recommended that health care workers, government, parents, teachers and other stakeholders put measures in place to regulate the use of its use among students and other youths.

Findings of such studies from different countries such as Thailand, Norway, have found that students who are pre-occupied with mobile phone tend to experience psychological disorders such as mania, paranoia, aggressive tendencies and anti-social behaviours.

A Saudi Arabian study reported that between three and four per cent of mobile phone users shows symptoms such as tension, fatigue, sleep disturbances, and dizziness related to their smartphone use, majority complained of a headache and have had accidents due to distracted driving.

In addition, there is also a strong association between excessive mobile phone usage and criminal activities such as fighting, theft, use of alcohol, increased risk of cancer of the brain, ear problems, blurred vision, use of narcotics and distractions among youths.

Apart from using phones to surf the internet, phones are now used by students as well as other youths as a means of leisure. Smartphones have the capacity for installing applications like games that not only distract users but make them use it for a long period of time and in places or conditions, they are not supposed to use it.