Addicted to your cell phone? Good reasons to take a break from technology

Cell phones connect people over long distances, but they routinely distract people from everyday eye contact and shorten attention spans while disconnecting people from face to face interactions. Cell phone addictions can make some people look like zombies out in public -- as users text and walk blindly, bumping into others. Cell phone zombies are quick to disregard others in their waking life, instead clinging to addictive interactions through a handheld screen. At the dinner table, cell phone junkies typically bury their eyes in the cell phone screen, blowing off those around them.

A new comprehensive infographic shows that one in three people use their smartphone while on a date.

Additionally, 19 percent tend to their mobile device while sitting through a church service.

73 percent of Americans panic at the thought of losing their cell phone

Cell phones occasionally interrupt the flow of conscious living. Consequently, the cell phone generation is losing their attention span. Giving undivided attention and listening sincerely is a dying practice of social etiquette. Brain chemistry is literally being rearranged as these mobile devices consume the mind, distracting users from reality. A 2012 study showed that 73 percent of Americans would panic if they were forced to disconnect from their cell phone for an extended period of time.

If the thought of losing your mobile device makes you sad, angry or afraid, you might be what experts now call a "nomophobe." If you couldn't go a day without checking the news, Facebook updates, the weather or playing an addictive little game, then you might suffer from nomophobia. Will the pharmaceutical industry devise a new pill for this new mental disorder? Hopefully the problem doesn't escalate this far.

What popular culture needs instead is a mobile device detox. How long can you go without having your cell phone attached to your hip? 

Five health problems associated with excessive mobile device use

• Panic and social anxiety sets in for 63 percent of men and 84 percent of women who misplace their phones.

• According to the Vision Council, the small, bright screens on smartphone's force 70 percent of Americans to squint, leading to eye strain, difficulty focusing, dry eyes and even double vision.

• Routine texters place extra pressure and stress on their neck column, giving them intermittent pains in the neck.

• Two hours of exposure to these light-emitting devices can lead to a 22 percent reduction in melatonin levels in users. Melatonin is a hormone that helps people get to sleep.

• At Medscape.com, a survey of 200 Korean children addicted to their cellphones showed that excessive cell phone use causes more aggression in youth and loss of attention span.

Interesting stats about today's cell phone culture

75 percent of cell phone users report that their phone is within five feet of them at any given time.

60 percent of smartphone users admit to checking their device every hour!

39 percent of smartphone users get on their phone when on the toilet, increasing the likelihood of bacterial contamination.

Up to 12 percent of users take their phones into the shower!

A study published by Lookout showed that over half of users (54 percent) check their phone before bed, during sleep or when they wake up, interrupting their sleep cycles.

If disturbing sleep wasn't enough, 20 percent of users between 18 and 34 years of age confessed to checking their phones during sex.

One in three people use their phone in a restaurant or bar setting to appear busy, when they really aren't.

Common sense solutions

• Use the phone to set up appointments but then turn it off when you're face to face with your contact.

• Don't look at the phone in the evening, two hours before bed. Protect your melatonin levels and cherish your sleep cycles.

• Don't use the phone when driving. At 55 mph, taking eyes off the road for five seconds to text is like driving the length of a football field -- blind.

• Set boundaries for children and lead by example. Give undivided attention, interact eye-to-eye and encourage active listening.