--- title: Do smartphones affect menstrual symptoms in young women? | Niyora description: Women who started using smartphones regularly reported more fatigue and headaches during menstruation, and more irritability and depression before their perio url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/differences-in-physical-and-psychological-condition-sleeping-status-and-2020/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Do smartphones affect menstrual symptoms in young women? Survey study, 2020 # Do smartphones affect menstrual symptoms in young women? Women who started using smartphones regularly reported more fatigue and headaches during menstruation, and more irritability and depression before their period. The study was observational so it cannot prove smartphones caused these changes. Early or limited evidence 273 female nursing students in Japan ## What they did Researchers surveyed 273 female nursing students in Japan about their physical health, sleep, and menstrual symptoms before and after they started using smartphones. They used a self-report questionnaire given between June and November 2016, with a 95.2% response rate. ## What they found After starting to use smartphones, students reported increases in eyestrain, poor posture, stiffness in the neck and shoulders, reduced outdoor activity, trouble concentrating, and lower motivation. They also reported higher fatigue before menstruation, headaches and low back pain during menstruation, and more irritability and depression before their period. ## What it means for you This study suggests smartphones may be linked to worse menstrual symptoms, but because it only asked women to recall changes after they started using phones, we cannot know if the phones caused the symptoms or if other factors were responsible. 273 Female nursing students surveyed 95.2% Survey response rate 6 months Survey period (June to November 2016) ## About the study Original title Differences in Physical and Psychological Condition, Sleeping Status and Menstruation-Related Symptoms before and after Smartphones Use in Young Female Students in Japan Authors Yukie Matsuura, Takane Morita, Momoko Sekimoto et al. Journal Health Year 2020 Study design Survey study Participants 273 Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.4236/health.2020.124033](https://doi.org/10.4236/health.2020.124033) Original abstract Smartphones use for a long period of time can cause health problems including physical condition, psychological condition and sleeping status. In addition, smartphones use may affect menstruation related symptoms. This study was conducted using a self-administered questionnaire between June and November in 2016 to clarify the differences in physical and psychological condition, sleeping status and menstruation-related symptoms before and after starting to use smartphones in female university students in Japan. We recruited 273 female nursing students and the response rate was 95.2%. We found significant changes after starting to use smartphones regarding eyestrain (p < 0.001), posture (p = 0.002), stiffness of neck, back and shoulders (p < 0.001), level of outdoor activity (p < 0.001), difficulty concentrating (p < 0.001), lack of motivation (p < 0.001), and sensitivity to stress (p = 0.005). Moreover, we also found that fatigue before menstruation and headache/low back pain during menstruation were higher after starting to use smartphones. The proportions of students with irritability and depressive feeling as emotional premenstrual symptoms appeared higher after starting to use smartphones. These results imply that young women should refrain from using smartphones if they have visual display terminal-related symptoms, disturbance of sleep pattern and menstruation-related symptoms before and during menstruation. Reproduced under CC-BY. ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Sleep and insomnia](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-sleep/)[Pain and headache](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-pain/)[Apps and digital interventions](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-digital-health/)[Students and academic performance](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-education/) Research tells you what helps on average. Niyora helps on the day it hits. Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor. ## Related studies Survey study, 2023 What factors make premenstrual syndrome worse in nursing students? Survey study, 2025 What is premenstrual syndrome and how can it be managed in adolescent girls? Survey study, 2022 How common is PMS in university students and what helps them cope with symptoms? Survey study, 2019 What are the best ways to manage PMS? Survey study, 2016 Does PMS cause insomnia or sleep problems? Randomised trial, 2026 Does a warm footbath help PMS symptoms and sleep quality? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗