- Click to share on Facebook (Opens in a new window)
- Click to share on Twitter (Opens in a new window)
- Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in a new window)
- Click to email a friend (Opens in a new window)
Now there are young people with a 'horn' in the skull for this reason 1:02
(CNN) - If you think the time you spend on your smartphone could be contributing to a relentless headache, you might be right, according to a new study.
That was the possible case for a group of subjects in India who were studied to determine the association between the use of smartphones and new headaches, or a greater severity of these. Although there are anecdotal stories that suggest a link between the use of technology and pain, there is limited evidence about the relationship between smartphones and pain, according to the report.
The researchers studied 400 people with a primary headache condition, which included migraines, tension headaches and other types not caused by another disease. After asking participants about the use of their smartphones, headache history and medication use, they discovered that smartphone users were more likely to use more pain medications, but found less relief compared with those who didn't use smartphones.
- Do smartphones make us "super stupid"?
"The associations found in the study cause the possibility that the use of smartphones may be a potential trigger for worsening headache, and there may be unexplored mechanisms that future studies could unravel," said Dr. Deepti Vibha, author of study and associate professor of neurology at the Institute of Medical Sciences of India in New Delhi.
While the research he published Wednesday in the journal Neurology: Clinical Practice does not conclude whether smartphones cause headaches, it does add to a body of knowledge that questions the health effects of smartphones as we depend on each more of them to accomplish daily tasks.
The connection between smartphones and pain
At a call center in India, participants were divided into two groups: those who did not use a mobile device or used one that only had call functions, and those who used smartphones.
Then, participants answered questionnaires evaluating the use of their smartphone and their history of headache symptoms.
After comparing the questionnaires, the researchers discovered that 96% of smartphone users were more likely to take pain-relieving medications compared to 81% of users who don't use smartphones. Smartphone users also reported less relief from headaches after taking medications, and 84% found moderate or complete headache relief compared to 94% of non-users.
Smartphone users also reported a higher occurrence of aura, which describes a sensation of warning experienced before an epilepsy or migraine attack, compared to users who do not use smartphones.
There was no difference between the two groups in the frequency with which headaches occurred, how long they lasted or how severe they were.
And although smartphone users in the current study had more difficulty recovering from headaches, the study did not determine whether the severity was due to the excessive use of smartphones. In addition, the study did not follow participants over time to observe changes related to the use of smartphones.
- Do your head and back hurt? The fault is with your “smartphone”
- A report says that youngsters are growing horns in their skulls. Critics do not believe it
Looking for a cause
While the study did not determine why smartphone users said they had more difficulty recovering from headaches, recent research offers some theories, the authors said.
It is possible that some of the behaviors intrinsic to the use of smartphones may contribute to headaches, such as bending the neck to move around your phone. It has been discovered that this posture, considered a “text neck”, causes tension in the spine of a person who may feel like the equivalent of 20 or 30 pounds, according to a 2018 study. This strain can cause headaches, according to Brigham and Women's Hospital.
Visual fatigue, which is caused by improper focus and can increase with excessive phone use and holding the device too close to your face, can also cause headaches, according to the American Migraine Foundation.
"The root of the problem is still unclear," said Dr. Heidi Moawad, a neurologist who teaches at the School of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University and John Carroll University, in an editorial about the study.
“Is the position of the user's neck? Or the lighting of the phone? Or eyestrain? Or the stress of being connected at all times? It is likely that responses will arise in the coming years and eventually guide strategies for a more sustainable use of the devices. ”
How to reduce pain
Dr. Christopher Gottschalk, head of the General Neurology Division of the Yale School of Medicine, said that while the study does not show that the use of smartphones is a direct cause of more severe headaches, people who use phones Smart should pay attention to if their headaches get worse over time and consult a doctor for it.
Moawad suggested that features such as "hands-free settings, voice activation and audio functions could be the key to helping smartphone users benefit from their phones without aggravating their headaches."
Headaches can also be relieved with over-the-counter medications; application of essential oils such as mint or lavender; magnesium supplements; and relaxation techniques that include deep breathing, according to Harvard Medical School. You should always talk to your doctor when choosing which method is best for them, and in case there is an underlying problem.
More studies are needed to fully understand the effects of smartphone use on our well-being, the researchers said.
"The fact that smartphone users require more pain relievers to abort headaches and have a higher pill count per month, suggests that smartphone use and headache should be studied in longitudinal studies," Vibha said. .
Health information