These 8 Habits Could Be Damaging Your Health
There are some behaviors that we recognize as harmful to us, and others that we engage in daily without realizing how detrimental they are to our health. If you’re searching for suggestions on how to live a healthier lifestyle, here are eight habits that may be harming your health—from holding in a sneeze to spending too much time on your phone.
1. Showering in a Too Hot Bath
Washing our bodies in excessively hot water is often thought to eliminate and destroy germs, but this may aid rather than help.
Washing with too hot water can create the perfect conditions for germs and bacteria to proliferate on your skin. The skin’s natural barrier is designed to lock in moisture while keeping the surface soft and moist, but extremely hot water can strip it of its natural oils, leaving your skin dry, flaky, and sensitive.
2. Smoking
Smoking is a hazardous habit that may harm your health in a variety of ways. Long-term and “social” smoking are equally harmful to your body, with the potential to lead to a variety of ailments including:
- Heart disease
- Cataract
- Lung cancer.
- COPD
- Lung disease
Even if you have a terrible situation, quitting smoking will be beneficial to your health. There are a variety of therapies and medications that can assist you in quitting smoking, like Champix for example.
3. A sneeze that isn’t released
Sneezes are generally considered to be quite safe, but not releasing a sneeze might result in damage to your ears, nose, and throat. The pressure created by a sneeze is significantly higher than you may believe, and it must dissipate. Although sneezing is uncommon, pressure in the sinuses can result in ruptured blood vessels.
The pressure of a sneeze might also harm the eardrums. Although sneezing is unusual, it’s better to just let one out (into a tissue, of course!) the next time you feel one on the way.
4. Sleeping In Your Contact Lenses
Sleeping in your contact lenses is a habit you should quit unless you’ve been advised differently by your optician. Wearing your contacts while sleeping might not only stress your cornea due to a lack of oxygen, but it could also raise the chances of an infection. Wearing contact lenses while sleeping, however, can lead to your eyesight being permanently harmed if you have an infection.
5. Using Electronics Before You Sleep
It’s all too simple to binge-watch your favorite shows before going to bed, but this may have a negative impact on your sleep cycle. According to research, watching television or using electronic gadgets suppresses our bodies’ natural production of melatonin (making it more difficult for us to fall asleep) as well as delaying rapid eye movement sleep – the cycle that helps our brains retain information.
6. Spending too much time on social media
Many of us strive to preserve our physical health while many of us neglect our mental fitness. Spending too much time on social media, and in general, on our phones, has been linked to feelings of loneliness and isolation. When we are on our phones, for example, we may be absorbing information at an alarming rate. This can cause joint discomfort or tendonitis from typing too much, as well as affect our working memory.
7. Slicing Veggies On The Same Board As Meat
It’s well understood to wash our hands and clean them before preparing meals. However, we may not be so quick to wash the surfaces on which we prepare meals.
Cutting fruit and vegetables on the same board as cooked meat or fish transfers a substantial number of germs and bacteria into your dish, including salmonella. While preparing meals, keep in mind to clean chopping boards, surfaces, and utensils regularly to minimize the spread of germs.
8. Not Washing Your Face After Exercising
It’s perfectly normal to sweat while working out. Washing your face after exercise might help to remove sweat from your skin, which will keep it smooth and free of blemishes. Most people also touch a lot of exercise equipment while working out, especially at a public gym, so it’s smart to wash both hands and face after exercising to remove any germs or bacteria.
There are a variety of everyday behaviors that might be harmful to your health. Are you ready to make some positive lifestyle changes?