Is your smartphone making you anxious?

You know the feeling: You reach into your bag or pocket to grab your smartphone and it's not there. That anxious feeling has a name—nomophobia or "no mobile-phone phobia"—and it affects adults and children alike.

America is officially a smartphone society. More than three-quarters of Americans, 77 percent, now own a smartphone, and the average adult spends about two hours and 51 minutes on their device each day. And while there is not a large amount of research available, psychologists have found compelling evidence showing an association between the heavy use of smartphones and higher rates of anxiety and depression.

But how much screen time is healthy? Mental health experts have come up with a set of specific behavior patterns that indicate it might be time to put the phone away for a couple of hours and reconnect with the real world.

It's been a while since your last face-to-face meeting with friends and/or family. Think of this basic social skill as a muscle—use it or lose it. In a 2015 survey of 100 college students, 92 percent said technology had a negative impact on face-to-face communication. Next time you message a friend, make plans to do something fun together.

You believe you're a master multitasker. How many times have you tried to answer emails or respond to a text message while binge-watching Netflix? Stanford researchers note that "high-tech jugglers are everywhere." But it turns out the brain isn't designed to process multiple streams of information at once. The result is the exact opposite of a multitasker's intent: a decrease in performance. A better way to cross things off your to-do list is to assign each task a specific amount of time during which you give it your all.

You can't handle boredom. Think about the last time you forgot to charge your phone, or when there was a power outage. Did you get frustrated or even lose your cool? It's true that smartphones have put the world at our fingertips, but one of the unintended consequences is that many of us are no longer comfortable with our own thoughts. Instead of reaching for the phone when you are bored, fill the time with more meaningful activities such as meditation or reading a book.

Your social media interactions are making you miserable. Whether it's a mouthwatering shot of a fabulous feast on a random Tuesday night or endless pictures of your friends' cherubic children, images on social media can give the impression that everyone else's life is perfect. Remind yourself that people only share what they want others to see. Rest assured that they have grumpy kids and laundry piling up, too. If you still can't tame your jealous side, it might be time to delete those apps.

Power Down for Better Sleep
That smartphone you can't live without might be harming your sleep. Occasional bouts of insomnia are common for roughly one-third of adults in midlife, but sleep experts at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the National Sleep Foundation point out that a solid night's rest is essential for good health. A variety of factors that are beyond our control can contribute to poor sleep quality, including medical conditions such as arthritis, menopause, chronic pain, sleep apnea, and depression. One factor that you definitely do have control over is your technology habits.

Using any tech device before bedtime is keeping you in wake mode in two ways:

• The screen's blue light interferes with the body's sleep-wake cycle by restraining the release of melatonin.
• It may seem harmless to watch a funny YouTube video or relax with a movie before bed, but it keeps your mind engaged when it should be unwinding and preparing the body for rest.

Switch up your nightly routine so that you're powering down all devices at least 30 minutes before you turn in for the night.