Do you have neck pain? It's your phone. Problems sleeping? It's your phone. Cancer?!? It's your phone’s fault. 

Nowadays, it seems like our phones are to blame for most of our problems. Whether our eyes constantly water, or we can no longer sleep through the whole night, it has become normalized to accuse our phones for these possibly unrelated issues. 

It’s almost instinctual to carry our phones to bed, scroll through social media for a little bit, and then drift to sleep with our phone at an arm’s reach. It doesn’t seem harmful when so many people follow the same nightly routine, but can sleeping near your phone actually cause harm? Let’s break down the myths and find the facts.

Fact: Phones continuously give off radiation that we absorb

Our phones do in fact emit a low level of radiation, ranging from 0-3 GHz for older phones and up to 80 GHz for the newer 5G models. While our bodies come in contact with this energy often, the level of frequency is too low to cause any genetic damage. Absorbing the radiation is common, but the only biological effect acknowledged by the National Cancer Institute is the slight warming of our bodies at a rate too insufficient to be measured. So while our phones radiate energy, they do not emit enough to cause major harm to our bodies. 

Myth: Radiation from phones can cause cancer

Cancer cells can begin to form when a cell has damaged DNA due to a genetic defect or environmental and lifestyle factors. Since the energy from the radiation frequency emitted from our phones is low, it cannot change our DNA; therefore radiation from phones cannot be directly linked to causing cancer. This notion of cell phones causing cancer is highly unlikely, but the American Cancer Society has not yet confirmed it to be implausible through indirect methods either.

Fact: Blue light from phones disrupt our sleep

Even when we sleep, our eyes can detect light from our environment. With our phone nearby when we sleep, if a notification turns the screen on, our eyes sense the blue light. This confuses our bodies to think it is time to wake up and disrupts our circadian rhythm. If a notification is accompanied by a sound or a vibration, it can further disturb our sleeping pattern by potentially waking us up. Additionally, having our phones so easily accessible at night increases the likelihood of us reaching for it when we should be sleeping. The blue light emitted from the screen increases alertness and promotes our brain to release less melatonin, resulting in difficulty falling asleep.

Fact: Phones can explode but...it's very rare.

There have been cases where phones overheat and catch fire, but most involve a manufacturing defect with the lithium-ion battery. If this occurs, having your phone by your body at night will potentially burn your skin and cause other internal damage. However, exploding phones are still very uncommon, although the media may portray it as otherwise.  

Myth: We need to sleep with our phones nearby

It may seem difficult to break this habit, but it is not essential to sleep by your phone. To avoid any potential risks to your sleeping schedule, researchers suggest leaving it in another part of the room, putting it away an hour before sleeping, and turning off sound and vibrations. 

Using a real alarm clock sounds outdated in a world where we can use our phones to wake us up, but they can be an alternative solution. If you are struggling to break this habit, consider using the “Do Not Disturb” feature or using a nightstand to avoid direct body contact. 

Now that the facts have been separated from the myths, having your phone nearby can be hazardous, but the dangers are not as serious as the rumors we hear. With the widespread use of newer and faster technology, educating ourselves on the risks is increasingly important, especially when it comes to our phones.