How Do You Protect Yourself from Cell Phone and Laptop Radiations?

Updated on & Medically Reviewed by Dr Lalitha
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How Do You Protect Yourself from Cell Phone and Laptop Radiations?

Cell phones and laptops are a boon and they have helped us bring the entire world to our fingertips. We stay connected with our friends and family using these devices and have been able to reconnect with long-lost friends.

We can look up anything under the sun and these devices have also made it possible for us to work for organizations worldwide.

As you know, too much of anything is too bad.

Cell Phone And Laptop Radiations

Cell phones and laptops have some adverse effects that most of us are aware of and still do very little to avoid. Often, our only way of staying connected with the world and getting entertainment is through these devices.

We often sleep with our phones under our pillows or close to our heads, where the radiations from our phones affect our brain.

We type so much these days using our thumbs, that the tendons get inflamed and pop every time we try to straighten them after texting. We carelessly talk or text while walking or when driving.

We have constant neck pain and our eyes are getting affected too. Looks like a long list, doesn’t it?

Are you weighing the pros and cons of using mobile phones and laptops already? Let us put that on hold for a while we list down a few more effects that these devices have on our health that you might not be aware of.

Affects of Mobile Radiation on Human Body

Did you know that cell phones and laptops can also affect your reproductive health?

Yes, you read it right.

Now, if you’re wondering how something you hold in your hand or keep close to your head affects your reproductive health, let’s explain how.

Are you aware that men are much more susceptible to reproductive damage by phones and laptops than women?

Let us learn how.

In recent years, there is an increasing percentage of male infertility that has been attributed to an array of environmental, health and lifestyle factors such as radiation.

Most men are used to carrying their phones in their pockets or clip it to their belts while using Bluetooth headphones.

These cell phones emit non-ionizing radiations that affect their reproductive health.

While non-ionizing radiations are comparatively less harmful than ionizing radiations, exposure to these radiations for a prolonged time consistently for days, months or years can significantly impact sperm vitality and mobility.

Studies by NCBI have shown that testicles are very sensitive to these radiations as the development and maturation processes of sperm happen in the testicles.

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In 2010, the International Institute of Population Sciences in Mumbai published a study that said, infertility amongst men had increased by 30% between 2000 & 2010.

This was a time when mobile phones were just being introduced and not everyone owned one or multiple phones and laptops. By 2021, over 760 million people are estimated to own smartphones.

It is difficult to predict the increase in the percentage of men suffering from infertility by then but considering our current lifestyle, pollutants, and radiations all around us, the number is sure to rise steeply.

A few years ago, two different studies were conducted in Egypt and Cleveland to study the effect of radiation from phones on male fertility.

The studies were conducted on men of the same height and weight, smoking habits and some of them had previously suffered from ED while some of them hadn’t. The study from Cleveland showed that men who used phones more than 4 hours a day experienced erectile dysfunction when compared to the ones who used their phones for about 1.8 hours a day.

The study conducted in Egypt also had worrisome results for men who used their cell phones for 6 or more hours a day. This study was reported in the Central European Journal of Urology.

Another study by the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio conducted a similar study where the effect of the radiations from the cell phones on sperm health at different distances was studied.

All of these studies had one common realization that the electromagnetic field created by cell phones might not have any effect on sperm count, but it did have an effect on sperm mobility, vitality and also caused DNA fragmentation.

When men carry their phones in their pockets, they are about 2.5 centimeters away from the testicles and such close proximity to a device emitting radiations constantly for prolonged periods is not good.

In this age, where abstaining from using smartphones might not be completely possible, men could probably try carrying their phones in their hands or a bag. Keeping your phone in your back pocket could also help create some distance between the testicles and the phone.

Affects of Laptop Radiation on Human Body

Now, let us talk about laptops. Laptops are another widely used source of electromagnetic radiation.

As the name suggests, most men and women often keep their laptops in their laps while working for extended periods. This not only affects your spine as your neck bends to look at your laptop, but laptops are also known to emit quite some amount of heat.

While this heat might not be very high from newer laptops, the old ones sometimes even require external cooling.

When men keep their laptops in their laps, this heat reaches the scrotum and elevates the temperature.

Dr. Jesse N. Mills, the director of Men’s Clinic and Professor of Urology at UCLA says that human males have testicles outside their bodies because they need to be at least 2 degrees cooler than the rest of the body. If the temperature is raised by anything, it becomes harmful to sperm health.

When the temperature of the scrotum is raised, it takes quite some time for the scrotal temperature to get back to normal.

If you use your laptop for about 8-10 or even 2 hours a day and repeat it daily, sperm health is sure to be affected.

Now, if you say that you keep a board or a pillow between your lap and the laptop so it wouldn’t affect you, that wouldn’t be quite right.

When your thighs are close to your testicles for an extended period, the heat from your body and the compactness increases the temperature again.

Basically, anything that raises the temperature of your scrotum can affect your sperm health. This is why you might have heard people tell you that hot showers, steam baths or jacuzzis aren’t good for men and fertility.


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Radiations and heat can both adversely affect your reproductive health and cause conditions like erectile dysfunction in otherwise healthy men.

You must be thinking that it’s unfair that only men face these dangers. But, phones and laptops aren’t that great for women either.

While the heat emanating from laptops might not cause any damage to women, the radiation does affect their ovaries. Long term exposure to these devices and the proximity in which they are operated can also affect ovarian activity.

Women, especially in their pregnancies must stay away from these devices as the radiations affect the brain of their unborn child, which in turn can cause autism.

Apart from laptops and mobile phones, these radiations are emitted from Wi-Fi signals and other appliances like microwave ovens and even mobile towers in the vicinity.

How to Protect Yourself from Laptop and Mobile Radiation?

While we cannot eliminate all of these devices from our lives completely and cut them off from the world, what we could do is, use them in moderation and keep our devices at least 30mm away from our body or as far as possible all the time.

If you think you are addicted to your laptop or find it difficult to look away from your phone, it’s time to start some physical activity.

This would help you stay away from your devices for a while and also take care of your sedentary lifestyle. Once you start moving around, you might also be motivated to eat right and cut down on habits like smoking which again affects your reproductive health.

It’s all about taking one step in the right direction and following where the path takes you. 

Disclaimer: The information provided on this page is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you have any questions or concerns about your health, please talk to a healthcare professional.


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