Do you crave to check your iPhone every few minutes? Do you feel restless if you are in a meeting and you haven’t checked your Blackberry for more than an hour? Or are you one of those women who check the phone first thing after waking and last thing before sleeping at night? If your answer is ‘yes’ to even one of these questions, then probably you have become a slave of your smartphone. Couple of years back, women were skeptical of using a smartphone, but today they are fast becoming smartphone buffs.

So how are women becoming so addicted to smartphones? The increasing dependency on smartphones is the most obvious answer. Women have started to rely on smartphones for everything, from sending official emails to getting beauty tips; from creating a Word document to keep tracking track of their menstrual cycle or from booking a flight ticket for a business trip to scheduling their kid’s baseball practice; smartphones is the key for everything.

Another reason for smartphones addiction is that it gives a chance to carry Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook right in your handbags. The incessant need to check the social networking sites is uncontrollable for some women and smartphone is the perfect channel to fulfill the need. “I’m completely addicted to my iPhone. Even in office I keep on checking and updating stuff on my twitter account,” says Michelle, a Software Professional and a self-confessed smartphone slave!

Although smartphone addiction is not an official disorder, but like any other addiction, this too can be quite hazardous in the longer run of time. Studies have even shown that if you take the smartphones away from these women, they show symptoms of withdrawal, irritability, loneliness, etc. The best solution to fight off this problem is self control. You should be strong enough to shun the urge to check your phone for every alert you receive. Also, it is best to avoid using the phone while spending time with your family.