Should I be worried about my smartphone addiction?

Practically everyone has a smartphone these days, and there’s a good chance you spend hours every day on yours. Over the last 10 years or so, we have become accustomed to having instant access to our friends, families and the internet through our phones. But when does our reliance on smartphones start to turn into an addiction, and how worried should we be about this?

A smartphone addiction is when an individual has the fear of being without their mobile phone – this is usually caused by being on the internet too much. It’s not our actual phone that makes us addicted, but the online world it connects us to. This fear has been branded as “nomophobia” (No Mobile Phone Phobia). There are quite a few warning signs that suggest you might be overusing your phone, such as having trouble completing tasks, isolating yourself from friends and family and a feeling of dread if you leave your smartphone at home.

Read on for our strategies for creating a healthier relationship with your smartphone.

Modify how much you use your smartphone

If you’re reading this blog then the chances are you are willing to cut down the use of your smartphone. A good approach is to think of it like going on a diet. Just as you still need to eat, you need your phone to stay in touch with friends and family, and for work. But what you are trying to accomplish from this ‘’diet’’ is to cut back to more healthy levels of use.

• Turn off your phone periodically. Setting yourself a schedule is a good idea. Turn off your phone at certain times of the day, such as dinner time, when you’re driving and an hour before you go to bed.
• Don’t bring your phone to bed. The blue light emitted by our phone screens is known to harm our sleep. It’s best to put your phone down a couple of hours before bed.
• Replace your phone with an activity. At times when you are bored, it can be tempting to burn time by scrolling through your feeds. Make a plan to fill in this time, such as running or a gym class.
• Remove social media apps from your phone. Try this for a week and you won’t regret it. If you really want to check your social media accounts, go on a computer instead.
• Play the ‘’phone stack’’ game. If you’re with a group of friends, have everyone place their phones face down on the table. Even as the phone rings, no one is allowed to grab their device.
• Reduce checks. We all feel the temptation to check our phones at any given opportunity, but sometimes this can be too often. Get yourself out of this habit by limiting checks to every half hour, then every hour.

Look after your oral health as well with Floe

It’s well-established that overuse of mobile phones is an unhealthy habit – both for our physical and mental health. If you’re looking to cut down on your smartphone usage, there’s a good chance it’s for this reason. But there may be other areas of your health you’re not maximising too – such as your oral health.

At Floe, we believe a healthy body starts with a healthy mouth, and a healthy mouth can be achieved by forming rock solid oral health habits. That’s why we created Floe, the subscription box that helps you create the perfect oral care routine.

Every three months, you’ll receive:

• A brand new Curaprox brush – with over 5000 soft bristles, gives unrivalled cleaning coverage to remove plaque more effectively.
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• Activated charcoal natural floss – made from bamboo charcoal fibres – effective flossing at a price that doesn’t cost the earth.

Great oral health has never been easier to achieve with Floe; subscribe today for a healthier smile!