Americans check their phones 144 times a day: How you can break bad digital habits
Smartphones, first introduced in 1992, have become an integral part of our everyday lives — from communicating with loved ones to managing our finances.

The frequent use of them and other tech devices can be draining and distracting and still, it is difficult for us to cut down. Americans check their phones 144 times a day on average, according to a 2023 survey by Reviews.org.

Constantly looking at your smartphone can negatively impact the depth of your conversations, Anastasia Dedyukhina, a digital wellbeing expert, tells CNBC Make It. This is true even if it's just on a table nearby during a chat with a friend or colleague, according to a 2014 study.

"If I had my smartphone next to me, it would attract my attention, consciously or unconsciously," Dedyukhina says.

"I would also keep thinking about it because for our minds, a smartphone and the sound of a smartphone is a highly attractive stimuli. So when I hear my phone ringing and make a notification, for my mind, it's the same as if you were calling me by my name."

Frequently switching between tasks can have consequences on your health, according to Gloria Mark, a professor of informatics at the University of California, Irvine, who wrote a book about attention span and how to refocus when distracted. Shifting what you're focusing on often can increase levels of stress, require more mental effort to complete tasks and cause feelings of frustration and time pressure, Mark told Fast Company in 2008.

Here are some tips for practicing digital mindfulness from Dedyukhina who ditched her smartphone for a year and half.