Nomophobes & Tanorexics

Mar 31 2008 By Lisa Adams

We're Suffering 21st Century Illnesses From Mobile Phone Stress To Sunbed Addiction, Pace Of Modern Life Is Too Much

IT'S a curse of the 21st Century which leaves you wanting to stop the world and jump off.

New research reveals nomophobia is the latest modern-day syndrome to send stress levels soaring as more than 13million Britons actually fear being out of mobile phone contact.

One in 10 people said they needed to be contactable at all times because of their jobs and that having their phone switched off made them anxious.

In fact they ranked running out of juice or leaving their phone at home alongside traditionally stressful situations such as getting married and starting a new job, in a survey of 2100 people by the Post Office.

The company's telecom expert Stewart Fox-Mills, said: "We're all familiar with the stressful situations of everyday life.

"But it seems that being out of mobile contact may be the 21st century's latest contribution to our already hectic lives.

"Whether you run out of credit, lose your phone or are in an area with no reception, being phoneless can bring on a panicky symptoms."

Here we reveal some other bizarre new symptoms of the 24/7 culture which show we're living our lives far faster than any previous generation.

MUMNESIA

Sparked by hormonal changes, mind-numbing tiredness and the relentless responsibilities of caring for ababy, this explains why so many new mums forget things.

Neurophsychiatrist Louann Brisendine, of Boston University, said: "New mothers are dedicated to serving their infant, determined to keep him or her alive no matter what.

"Other parts of your brain that are normally on high alert are taken offline. Consequently less important matters get forgotten, or at least put in to a less active area of the brain."

TANOREXIA

Getting a sun tan to die for has sparked an addiction to sunbeds. Doctors came up with the term after becoming alarmed by the number of youngsters risking skin cancer to chase the perfect skin colour.

Symptoms include intense anxiety if a tanning session is missed and competition among friends to see who can get the darkest tan. But the biggest risk is a long-established medical condition, skin cancer.

Astudy by Newcastle University recently found that about 100 people a year die in the UK as a result of sunbed use, with many suffering long-term damage in their youth.

ATHLETICA NERVOSA

It may be great for your body but you can get addicted to the gym.

Sufferers become addicted to exercising and the natural chemical endorphin high they get after working out. Men in particular are hit by the desire to look as good as the models in sports magazines, according to psychologist David Giles, lead researcher at Winchester University.

He said: "The more such magazines a man reads, the more likely he is to be anxious about his physique. Men who read the most lads mags seem to internalise the appearance ideals portrayed to them. The models are impossibly good-looking and can make readers anxious about their own bodies."

SEMI-SOMNIA

We're living our lives so fast we get on average an hour less sleep a night than we did in the 1970s, says the Sleep Council.

And when our heads do finally hit the pillow, we're too stressed out to switch off and go to sleep, according to sleep expert Dr Neil Stanley.

Dr Stanley said: "A huge number of people are, often without realising it, battling with persistent low-grade exhaustion due to a combination of lack of sleep or poor quality sleep.

"Around 75 per cent of the population admit to waking up exhausted every day, but many are wrongly blaming other factors like lack of exercise or a poor diet."

CYBERCHONDRIA

Patients' access to the internet is turning into every GP's biggest fear. They report a rise in patients who scare themselves half to death by reading up on diseases and conditions then become convinced they have a serious illness.

But the one thing a computer can never tell you is your unique medical history, so there's no substitute for a face to face consultation with your GP.

TECHNOHOLIC

A worrying 33 per cent of us are becoming addicted to the internet, reveals Professor Nada Kakabadse of Northampton University. If you can't last five minutes without checking your inbox then you're not alone. But too much exposure to the net can trigger a break down of relationships.

Professor Kakabadse said: "It's addiction to portable technology, which you take with you practically to bed, the cinema or a dinner party.

"People spend more time using their technology than socialising."

You may have dozens of cyber friends on Facebook but how many real ones can you count?

LEISURE SICKNESS SYNDROME

This is what happens when you work too hard. Adrenalin boosts triggered by stress keep you going all week at work but when you reach the weekend or holidays, your immune system collapses and you get ill.

Scientists at Tilburg University in the Netherlandss studied 1128 men and 765 women for a year. They found three per cent got ill as soon as they stopped working and tried to relax.

Colds were most common during holidays, while sickness and muscle pains happened at weekends.

MOUSE WRIST

Long hours at a computer can cause shooting pains in your wrist, also known as repetitive stress injuries.

A form of RSI caused by excessive use of the thumb in typing text messages is also common as well as phone neck-neck and shoulder pain caused by holding a phone for long periods.

'Being phoneless can even bring on panicky symptoms'