The Complete Guide: Are You Sensitive to Electromagnetic Fields?

UPDATED 15/4/2026

  • What is Electromagnetic Sensitivity or EHS?

  • My EHS Story

  • What Causes Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity or EHS?

  • Who Is Most Electrosensitive?


What are EMFs?

EMFs, or electromagnetic fields, are invisible areas of energy. Anything that is electrically charged can generate EMFs, everything from the sun to your cell phone.

But we are talking about manmade EMFs here, often associated with aforementioned cell phone, as well as electrical power.

In my assessments, I cover four specific types of this artificial radiation.

We can also think of EMFs as low frequency and high frequency. The low-frequency EMFs come from electrical sources such as power lines, electrical wiring, and appliances such as your washing machine, air-con, and refrigerator. On the other hand, high-frequency EMFs are emitted by wireless devices, including your cell phone, iPad, and Wi-Fi router.

In this article, I focus on the symptoms of EMF sensitivity. Once we learn more about what EMFs are, their sources (ubiquitous and probably in your own hand right now), and their potential effects, we understand more about our health.

What is Electromagnetic Sensitivity or EHS?

This is the term given to people who report health issues asociated with EMFs, often to debilitating effects.

These Electromagnetic Fields (EMFs) created by devices like smartphones, WiFi routers, and home appliances in the form of wireless radiation. They may be other forms of EMFs such as magnetic and electrical fields created by other appliances and structures such as power lines.

These energy fields are invisible and can affect our health in ways we may not immediately recognise.

Symptoms of EHS

To understand By now you might be familiar with the common symptoms of EHS: headaches, fatigue, sleep disturbances, skin irritation, dizziness, and difficulty concentrating.

But aren’t these common health issues anyway?

Here is how to tell if your symptoms are related to EMFs.

1—Headaches

Our brain is a massive energy hog. Even mild thirst or when your body is dehydrated (doesn't get the fluids it needs) can cause headaches.

If your headaches are frequent and/or severe, often worsening with increased EMF exposure, they are likely related to EMFs..

2—Fatigue

If you wake up still feeling tired, you might be sensitive to EMFs, because they disrupt circadian rhythms by interfering with melatonin production and altering sleep patterns.

When you are struggling with EHS, you feel persistent tiredness that does not improve with rest.

3—Sleep Disturbances

Relatedly, you find it difficult to go to sleep, or even stay asleep. You wake at night, even though you’ve the best blackout curtains. Such difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, often linked to the presence of electronic devices.

4—Skin Irritation

The skin is related to our gut, which is why food allergies manifest as eczema, psoriasis, etc. EMFs, too, can trigger the skin directly. Symptoms may include redness, tingling, or burning sensations on the skin.

5—Dizziness

You get a sense of sensation of lightheadedness or imbalance, particularly in environments with high EMF exposure. You might actually get dizzy to the point of fainting.

6—Difficulty Concentrating

You might have trouble focusing or maintaining attention, which can affect daily activities.

We talk about generation brain rot. But it is no coincidence that our youth are the first ones growing up in a digital era.

Gen Z grew up in a screen-saturated world. Compared to Gen Z, many Generation Alpha children (born during 2013) were given iPads around the age of 2 to 4, growing up with a tablet already in front of them.

The science is clear on how screen overuse leads to concentration problems

7—Mood Swings

It is not right to feel your emotions swing. You might feel mood swings with rapid changes in mood, including irritability or anxiety, even anger.

8—Muscle Pain

This is generalized pain or discomfort in muscles, without any other cause. You have not recently hurt yourself. You’ve not been working out too much, etc. Sometimes the pain resembles fibromyalgia.

9—Heart Palpitations

You might feel noticeable changes in heart rhythm, which may occur in high EMF areas.

10—Sensitivity to Noise

You develop a sensitivity to sounds, which you have never had before. This can be any sound, whether crowded malls or people talking normally nearby, which can exacerbate feelings of discomfort.

There are many other symptoms. These are the EHS, Electromagnetic Sensitivity, or EMF exposure are confirmed in the research below:

  • Headaches [6]

  • Lack of Appetite [1]

  • Digestion problems [2]

  • Anxiety [1,5]

  • Sleep Difficulties [1,2,3]

  • Unstable moods and Bursts of anger Due to Poor Sleep [1]

  • Depression [1]

  • Fatigue [1]

  • Lack Of Concentration [1,6]

  • Irritability [1]

  • Memory problems [1,6]

  • Visual problems- blurry vision [1,2]

  • Vertigo or Dizziness [1,2]

  • Tinnitus or Ringin In The Ears [2,3,6]

  • Abdominal Swelling [2]

  • Burning pain in hands, shoulders, legs and feet [2]

  • Itch [4]

  • Edema, swelling, bloating [2,4]

  • Chills [2]

  • Photosensitivity

  • Tachycardia [2,5]

  • Heart Palpitations [2,4,5]

  • Difficulty Breathing [2]

  • Cystitis [2]

  • Skin Rashes [1,4]

  • Heightened sensitivity to touch, smells, chemicals, light, and noise [6]

  • Weakness [6]

These symptoms can occur immediately, minutes or hours later, or over months or years.

When exposure continues, you develop a higher risk of brain and gut issues, reduced cognition, and cancer.

My EHS Story

For example, I lived with near-daily bouts of dizziness, headaches, and even migraines. When I got my first iPad, I developed heart palpitations, although I still did not put two and two together.

When I got pregnant, these symptoms magnified seemingly overnight. Some grew louder over subsequent weeks. Other symptoms emerged: extreme fatigue, difficulty concentrating, digestive issues. The doctors assured me that most pregnant women feel awful.

But my symptoms did not alleviate throughout pregnancy, nor after giving birth. They seemed to increase or decrease inexplicably. Until I connected them to my environment, especially my home and my workspace.

What Causes Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity or EHS?

These sources can be outdoors, but are more often than not found indoors in your own home.

Indoor sources:

  • Cellphones

  • Wi-Fi

  • Smart meters

  • Microwave oven

  • Alarm systems (i.e., motion-detectors)

  • LED lights, dimmers (emit unclean electricity)

  • Cordless phones

  • Washing machines

  • Electric heating located under your floors

  • Plasma TV monitors

  • Any other “Smart” appliances

  • Electric Blanket

  • Wired Clock Radio

Outdoor sources:

  • power lines

  • cellphone towers

Electric vehicles are another source of EMFs. You could argue that they an indoor source since they affect you sitting inside.

Who Is Most Electrosensitive?

Children are more susceptible to the potential effects of EMFs due to their developing bodies and brains. Their skull is thinner, their brain contains more water and fat, and their nervous system is still developing.

In fact, studies have shown that kids can absorb twice as much radiation in the head, and ten times as much in the bone marrow, compared to adults.

Children are also growing up in a wireless radiation soup. Science has shown how EMFs weaken the blood-brain barrier, alter gene expression, and interfere with hormone production.

This is why EMF awareness is crucial to secure our health today and that of future generations. This is why EMF awareness IS protection for children.

Simple strategies are:

  • limiting screen time

  • keeping wireless devices out of bedrooms

  • using wired devices whenever possible

These to help protect your children from some excess EMF exposure.

But children need protection from the environmental stress caused by invisible EMF fields. This means rethinking what’s in your home and what’s near your child 24/7. This is why I include other components of a calm safe home in an EMF-focused consultation; they go hand in hand.

On top of that, EMFs may be invisible but we can talk about it. Educate your children about the potential risks of extended electronics usage and encourage safe technology use.

Given the proliferation of digital infrastructure and the very real ways we are seeing degenerative health in digital lifestyles, I am so glad to more awareness is growing about this topic.

But we can do more and change the one place that we spend our lives and create most of our core memories with—the home.

Building Biology Home: Creating the Home to Protect Our Families
If you are serious about raising healthier kids in a wireless world, you are in the right place.

If you want to learn more about EMFs and building biology principles to create a calm home, subscribe to my newsletter. I share how to create a calm with practical truth, not fear.

Get started now with my EMF Bootcamp to eliminate, once and for all, the most common toxin in your space. In this bootcamp, you will understand the importance, types of EMFs, and effective strategies for your defense against EMF exposure.

Do you want an EMF-safe home? Work with me.


References and resources about EHS symptoms:

[1] Gómez-Perretta cell radiation exposure stud
[2] Piras et.al. Fibromyalgia and EHS Study 
[3] Bhat, Kumar Gupta Study of the Effects of Radiations Study of the Effects of Radiations  
[4] Johannson Immune system and electromagnetic fields study             
[5] Magda Havas Wireless Radiation and Autotomic system study 
[6] Gunnar Heuser Functional MRI and EHS Study


Blue Light: Do we need digital detox to save our skins?

More interest in melasma and hyperpigmentation tied to blue light.

A study asked “Can Light Emitted from Smartphone Screens and Taking Selfies Cause Premature Aging and Wrinkles?”.[1]

We’re not getting enough natural light during the day, but are overexposed to very high levels of artificial light at night. Our skin is a major target of oxidative stress and the link between aging and oxidative stress is well documented. And obviously, what we call “aging” by looking at the skin is caused by oxidative stress.

What is blue light?

Blue light has shorter wavelengths (400-490 nm) and the photons in blue light have higher energy, so it has the potential to do more damage in the upper layers of the skin.

Blue light in the evening is associated with an increased risk of obesity, poor metabolic and cardiovascular health as well as poor sleep in general. “Light is important, but the timing of it is also crucial,

Blue light emitted by screen devices disrupts our circadian rhythms, leading to mitochondrial health disasters. Article says "still a great deal of controversy" blue light, but we know LEDs directly affects cellular function.

Why is blue light a concern?

It is stating the obvious but we evolved under the Sun with exposure to broad-spectrum light during the day, followed by a rest and repair cycle at night. Now we have round-the-clock exposure to light sources we’re still learning about.

Blue light from the sun always comes balanced by red light.

In fact, it is only around 2011 that LEDs were introduced to the market and became popularised for households!

The unnatural exposure to intense blue light is already associated with chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer, obesity, insulin resistance/type 2 diabetes, and cancer — all linked to mitochondrial dysfunction.

However, one most substantial evidence for electronic blue light’s impact on skin is how it creates hyperpigmentation.

In 2023, a study of 41 women found that exposure to low doses of blue light triggered or worsened pigmentation in those who tanned easily – Fitzpatrick skin types three to six. (The Fitzpatrick scale measures the risk of sunburns on skin tone, with Fitzpatrick 1 denoting extremely fair skin and Fitzpatrick 6 denoting extremely deep skin.)

Worse, blue light damages the extracellular matrix, which is the collagen layer, through oxidation.

In a 2018 article, an article published in the Journal of Biomedical Physics and Engineering found that as little as one hour of exposure to electronic devices is enough to generate reactive oxygen species, triggering inflammation and exacerbating skin ageing.

“Selfies can age the skin”

Due to detrimental effects of irradiation with electromagnetic fields (EMFs) and visible light (VL), frequent exposure to VL and EMFs produced by smartphones can lead to skin damage and accelerated ageing (promoting wrinkles). In an evocative piece, Sarah Knapton, the Science Editor of the Telegraph idescribed how “Selfies can age the skin and cause wrinkles, warn dermatologists”, published on June 17, 2016.

“It’s not documented,  but in my clinical observation, I can tell whether someone uses their right hand or left hand to hold their phone. You start to see dull dirty looking texture that you cannot identify on one side of the face.” — renowned dermatolgist Dr Zein Obagi, founder of the Obagi Skin health Institute in Beverly Hills.[3]

By the time you’re seeing damage manifest on your skin, you know it is already harming your biological systems.

Currently in the world of skincare, conventional advice continue to be sunscreen. Mineral and physical blockers, such as titanium dioxide and iron oxides provide better protection than chemical blockers, which are often chockful of other problems. Other products include blue light protective facial mists, expensive serums and lip glosses with patented ingredients that claim to “shield” us from screen damage. The beauty industry is an eye-watering multi-billion-dollar industry, and serums and moisturisers that include simple antioxidants such as vitamin C, which scavenges free radicals generated by blue light, and niacinamide, which has anti-inflammatory benefits.

sunscreen at home does not help

So we see the creep of skincare and beauty used to be for “a day or night out”, and then to mitigate outdoor pollution and stress, to mitigate toxic exposures at bed. It used to be that we bought antioxidants during the day to protect from pollution, and ingredients like retinol at night. Now, there’s more oxidative stress in our home environments, so it’s worth including antioxidants in your nighttime routine. You’ll find beauty articles describing the best routine to offset melasma risks from blue light from screens and laptops, by needing sunscreen application both indoors and outdoors.

But blue light from devices is a different wavelength of radiation so sunscreen will not block it.

You could try to saturate your skin with anti-oxidants to mop up the free radicals, to try to help prevent DNA damage from electronic devices. But the artificial electromagnetic field is altering the minerals in the skin. A sunscreen will not protect you.

Rather than going beyond skin-deep to explore the deeper effects of blue light on our bodies, we’re running off for another band-aid to patch what we perceive as only ugly sights.

References

  1. Arjmandi N, Mortazavi G, Zarei S, Faraz M, Mortazavi SAR. Can Light Emitted from Smartphone Screens and Taking Selfies Cause Premature Aging and Wrinkles? J Biomed Phys Eng. 2018 Dec 1;8(4):447-452. PMID: 30568934; PMCID: PMC6280109.

  2. Impact of blue light on skin pigmentation in patients with melasma. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10315449/

  3. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2016/06/17/selfies-can-age-the-skin-and-cause-wrinkles-warn-dermatologists/

Study: Dangerous levels of metal toxicity in clothing

Metals are used to make clothing and textile products in many processes, such as:

  • metal complex dye (cobalt, copper, chromium, lead),

  • pigments,

  • mordant (chromium),

  • catalyst in synthetic fabrics manufacture (antimony oxide),

  • synergists of flame retardants (Sb2O3), antimicrobials (nanoparticles of silver, titanium oxide and zinc oxide),

  • water repellents, and;

  • odour-preventive agents

When we wear these metals on our skin, our body’s largest organ, heavy metals may mean a potential danger to human health.

The study

The researchers analysed clothes made of different materials, colours, and brands.

The results

Different materials in darker dyes have different levels of metals. The researchers found high levels of Cr in polyamide dark clothes (605 mg/kg), high Sb concentrations in polyester clothes (141 mg/kg), and great Cu levels in some green cotton fabrics (around 280 mg/kg).

Significantly lower concentrations of Al and Sr were found in “eco” clothes,.

No significant differences were observed in branded and unbranded clothing pieces.