Spending too much time on your phones could be ruining your sex life

Scientists have revealed the 'harmless' habit that may be ruining your relationship. Photo / 123RF

Here's a terrifying fact for you: the average person spends three hours and 15 minutes either talking on, or staring at, their mobile phone every single day. That's 22 hours and 45 minutes a week, every week.

An even more terrifying fact? Most Australian couples report they're having sex once or twice a week, and for an average five minutes each time. That's around 10 minutes a week, compared to almost an entire 24-hour day glued to our phones.

Reading those numbers, you probably won't be surprised to learn it's the time we spend on our phones that's taking away time we could be spending in the bedroom.

One study, conducted by Durham University in the UK, surveyed 30 couples about the effects that mobile phone use had on their sex lives, and the results aren't particularly good news for people who like to have a device by their side at all times.

Forty per cent of respondents confessed to delaying sex to use their smartphones or tablets, while some revealed that they "raced through sex" in order to check their social media or respond to messages.

Alarmingly, one third of participants also admitted to interrupting the act to answer incoming calls – clearly not the kind of thing your partner is going to appreciate.

Another much larger study, conducted by America's National Bureau of Economic Research, surveyed four million people across 80 countries, found couples who have a TV in their bedroom have, on average, 6 per cent less sex than those who don't. And it doesn't take a genius to figure out that taking what is essentially a handheld TV to bed with you every night has the same – if not a worse – effect.

Although checking how many Facebook likes you have or fielding a call from your mum while you're getting it on are pretty clear signs you need to leave your smartphone or tablet in another room when it's time to get intimate, if you simply must have your device nearby, it doesn't have to be a complete hindrance to your sex life.

Knowing we can't put down our phones, a swath of apps designed to improve our escapades in the bedroom have hit the market in recent years.

Harry Potter actress Emma Watson endorsed OMGYES, an app that can be used as a guide to help women achieve maximum pleasure. The app features tutorials and "touchable videos" that will have you using your device's touchscreen in erotic ways probably not suited to, say, use on public transport.

Coral, another popular sexual wellness app, promises a tailored experience to lead you to "horizontal happiness" via a mix of science, stories and practical exercises created by experts.

Digital aids like these can help supercharge your sex life in surprising new ways. But if your idea of multi-tasking is using one hand to undress your partner while using the other to check work emails on your phone, you might need a total rethink.

My advice is to power down your device if you want to power things up in the bedroom.