Do you hunch over your smartphone for hours every day? Doing so can effectively increase your head’s weight and damage your posture. According to some studies, millennials in the U.S. spend close to six hours on their smartphones per day. Baby boomers, on the other hand, average about five hours per day.

Addiction to smartphones, therefore, spans generations. These devices are a staple in the modern world. While they are very helpful and versatile devices, they do have a dark side. Think of your posture while using your smartphone. Is your head down? Do you hunch your shoulders? The position you assume when using your smartphone is one of the main reasons these devices cause neck pain.

How Smartphones Cause Neck Pain

When held in a neutral position, the average human head weighs about ten pounds. When you tilt your head forward, you increase the pressure on your spine. According to some experts, the pressure will double for every inch you tilt it forward. This can lead to inflammation and over-stretching of the neck and shoulder muscles, resulting in neck pain.

Incidences of neck pain occur even in young kids and teens who spend much time on their smartphones. Typically, the problem tends to increase with age. Hunching forward and looking down changes the natural curvature of the neck. This misalignment can cause wear and tear on the neck structures over time.

What Happens When You Drop Your Head?

• Your shoulder and neck muscles contract
• Your shoulders tend to lift up or round forward
• Your neck moves forward

Long-Term Effects

Text neck or forward head posture can have some long-term effects. Hunching over your smartphone for several hours each day can lead to pinched nerves, disk herniation, and muscle strain. Over time, your bad posture can completely change the natural curve of your neck.

Other Health Concerns

In addition to muscle pain, the wrong posture can cause several other health problems. When you sit in a slumped position, you restrict the ability of your lungs to expand fully, impairing their capacity. Furthermore, since you will be inhaling less oxygen, your heart will need to work harder to distribute more oxygen-rich blood throughout your body.

Ways To Avoid Neck Pain

To prevent text neck, improve your posture while using your smartphone. To learn proper neck alignment and posture, look at your profile in a mirror. It is easy to forget about good posture when you are using your phone. Hence, you need to check your posture from time to time.

If you have to spend extended time on your phone, keep your spine straight and sit on a supportive chair with armrests. Also, holding your smartphone at eye level can make a huge difference for your neck.

It will minimize the bend in your neck, reducing the amount of pressure exerted on your spine. You also need to take a break after spending a long time on your phone and do some stretching.