Am I addicted to my phone? 5 signs that you really are

Addiction to cell phones and electronic devices is a growing trend, affecting at least 60% of young people in the United States. More than 70% confess to sleeping with their cell phones in their hands, a habit that could trigger numerous health problems.

One way to deal with cell phone addiction is to recognize the main symptoms of this condition and thus be able to take steps to gradually reduce use.

Learn to identify the signs that you are addicted to your phone!

You feel nonexistent vibrations

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Have you ever felt a «ghost» vibration? A large number of mobile device users have reported feeling a kind of vibration like when receiving a text message, call, or email notification on their cell phone.

This is a clear sign of a psychological dependence on the phone, indicating that it is time to implement strategies to reduce its use. This occurs mainly when users are anticipating the possible appearance of a notification on their device.

Neck pain from phone addiction

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Not everyone with neck pain is a phone addict, but it’s likely that most cell phone addicts have some type of upper body pain from their posture when answering messages or browsing social networks.

Neck pain may seem harmless in most cases, but it could lead to other types of discomfort, such as stress, headaches, migraines, and in the most serious cases, depression or anxiety.

It gives you anxiety to separate from your phone

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This type of anxiety has been officially named nomophobia. It is a disorder that causes severe separation anxiety when someone must stay away from their phones for long periods.

Social media and the apparent need to check notifications have increased the incidence of this phenomenon, also known as PSA (phone separation anxiety).

You keep thinking you’re missing something

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FOMO or fear of missing out is also one of the main symptoms that a person is addicted to cell phone use. This generates anxiety because the user firmly believes that something very important is happening without him being aware of it.

This could be the start of other symptoms, such as sleep deprivation caused by wanting to keep up with social media updates, or receiving messages or calls with information relevant to yourself or someone else.

Abrupt mood swings due to separation from the cell phone

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Abrupt mood swings are a sign that a person is going through a period of abstinence from cell phone use or that they take all the news they find on the internet very seriously.

Mood swings can come from many sources, including lack of sleep, a psychological reaction to constant exposure to news and posts. Experts believe that gradually reducing cell phone use helps restore abrupt mood swings and improve people’s quality of life.