Brain Tumor Risk and Mobile Use: A common habit in India is to sleep with your mobile phone next to you while using it. Let us explain how sleeping with your mobile phone next to your head is harmful.

Mobile phones can increase the risk of brain tumors

Does Sleeping with a Phone Cause Cancer in India? Most people in India scroll through their mobile phones before bed or fall asleep with their phones next to their pillows. This habit has become common, but can it affect their health? Dr. Myro Figura, an anesthesiologist in Los Angeles, California, warned about this issue in an Instagram post. Let's find out what he said and whether this actually poses a cancer risk. 

Can it really cause cancer?

Can mobile phones really affect your health? Dr. Figura says that keeping your phone close to your head while sleeping is not a good idea. He says, "If you sleep with your phone very close to your head, you should change this habit. Phones emit radiation even when you're not using them. This can impair sleep quality, cause headaches, and increase your risk of cancer in the long run."

non-ionizing radiation

Regarding radiation, they clarify that mobile radiation is "non-ionizing radiation." It doesn't directly damage DNA like ionizing radiation, such as sunlight, medical imaging, or radioactive sources. However, it still constitutes radiation. This is why the World Health Organization (WHO) has classified it as "possibly carcinogenic to humans," the same category that includes things like coffee and pickles.

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A post shared by Myro Figura MD | Anesthesiologist 💉 (@doctormyro)

Dr. Figura also points out that the risks aren't limited to radiation. Phones can sometimes overheat while charging, and there have been instances of fires. Keeping your phone too close to your bed while sleeping is also considered unsafe. His simple suggestion is to keep your phone away from the bed. It's even better to place it on the other side of the room. This can not only improve sleep but also reduce potential long-term health risks.

What do other experts say?

Dr. Arundhati Dey, a consultant in radiation oncology at the Apollo Cancer Center in Kolkata, says that there is no solid scientific evidence to date that radiofrequency waves emitted from mobile phones cause brain tumors or cancer. She clearly states, "It has not yet been proven that radiofrequency waves emitted from mobile phones cause brain tumors or cancer." Large-scale studies on long-term mobile phone use are being conducted worldwide, but current data do not suggest that simply sleeping with a phone near the head increases the risk of cancer.

According to doctors, the biggest impact is on sleep. Today's smartphones constantly emit lights, notifications, alerts, vibrations, and screen brightness. Even if you don't respond to them, your brain continues to register these signals. This is why keeping your phone nearby can affect sleep quality.