A new study by the Maurice Avian School of Dental Medicine and Gabriela Goldschleger at Tel Aviv University has found that overuse of smartphones and social media can cause sleep problems, sleep and obesity during the day, tooth erosion, and pain in the mouth muscles and jaws.
The study was conducted as part of Dr. Yitzhak Hochhauser’s dissertation and was directed by Dr. Alona Amudi-Perlman, Dr. Pessia Friedman-Rubin, Prof. Ilana Eli, and Prof. Ephraim Winocur.
Dr. Friedman-Rubin and Prof. Eli explained “nowadays people live with a feeling of FOMO (fear of losing out) so they want to stay updated regularly and know what’s new ‘every minute. This need naturally creates a growing dependence on cell phones, leading to feelings of stress and anxiety – ‘someone may be writing something on social media and I will miss it and not being in the loop. ‘”
In the study, the researchers compared different groups, from around 600 participants: a group of secular people, smartphone users, and a group of ultra-orthodox people, mostly using a phone “Kosher” without internet connection.
Respondents to the study were asked to address a number of factors that indicate overuse of the telephone, including feelings of stress and tension during the day, a tendency to wake up during the day. night, need to be available to the cell phone, grinding teeth and jaws pain.
The findings of the study are clear: 54% of smartphone users have a moderate to high frequency of night waking up, compared to just 20% among those who are ultra-direct.
In addition, 50% of secular respondents feel moderate to high pressure as a result of the cell phone, compared to just 22% among ultra-Orthodox ones.
The differences between the groups are also reflected in the question of how available they feel their mobile devices need to be – 45% of users answered -worldly response that they had a moderate to high need for their phones, compared to just 20% in the ultra-orthodox group.
These gaps are even more marked when examining damage to the chewing muscles and jaw joints: 45% of the global group reported tooth erosion, 24% during the day and 21% at night, and 29% reported of them that they were experiencing pain into their jaw muscles.
In contrast, only 14% of ultra-Orthodox reported these symptoms. Some 13.5% reported grinding teeth and 14% pain in the hamstring muscles.
Factors contributing to the development of muscle pain and tooth decay include the use of cell phones at night and the stress caused by mobile devices.
Friedman-Rubin explained that, despite the differences between the population groups in terms of their social perceptions of what may affect their weight gain, the study was able to influence the impact of phones. identify and identify smart causes as a cause for concern.
“While the smartphone version has many benefits in terms of access and access to information, there is a desire to keep all new posts appearing on social media or all new articles updated. published on or on this site, and the need for it to be available on a regular basis, creates feelings of stress and anxiety, ”she said.
“The current study has shown a link between excessive smartphone use that allows surfing on social apps and a significant increase in night waking, which causes daytime fatigue, facial and jaw pain, tightness in the abdomen. hooks during the day and teeth – clenching at night – are physical symptoms that are often the result of stress and anxiety and can even lead to physical injuries such as tooth erosion and joint damage, ”she said.
“We certainly want to support technological progress, but as with everything in our lives, overuse of smartphones can cause negative symptoms, and it is important that the public is aware of the impact. which it takes on the body and the mind, “she warned.