Most of us know exactly what is healthy and what is unhealthy for our bodies. Smoking, alcohol abuse, or excessive visits to fast-food establishments are just a few examples. The development of science and the internet has meant that reviewing such information and getting answers to troubling questions takes a short time. However, there are many activities and habits—not necessarily related to diet—that slowly degrade our bodies. The effects of these are not immediately visible, and it takes time to realize that something is wrong. Nevertheless, it is worth getting to know the less obvious ones, as they demonstrate a significant impact on our lives.
Sitting on the toilet for too long
It seems obvious that each of us needs a different amount of time to thoroughly wash our bodies or satisfy basic physiological needs. In fact, the point is not to turn a visit to the toilet into some kind of race. However, let's remember that in the age of universal access to the internet on our mobile devices, it seems extremely tempting to extend this visit to surf social media, read an interesting article, or play a few rounds of our favorite mobile game. In theory, there is nothing wrong with this; after all, any form of relaxation is recommended. However, let's remember that sitting on the toilet in a crouched position for too long is not very healthy for our bodies. After all, such a procedure leads to rapid accumulation of blood in the anal muscles. One-off episodes are not a big deal, but if we do it too often, complications can arise. A condition in which blood cannot drain from these areas for a long time is an easy way to create hemorrhoids. Therefore, it is worth limiting the time spent on the toilet to the necessary minimum.
Why is hot tap water more polluted than cold water?
The chemical composition of tap water varies depending on the location, time of year, or the type of materials used to make the plumbing. In Poland, drinking cold water directly from the tap is safe, and the water meets European standards. Despite this, many people purify it further, for example, by using activated carbon filters. However, it's important to note that all of these terms refer to cold water. Interestingly, using hot tap water for food purposes isn't very healthy in the long run. This is due to the need to preheat it. Therefore, it passes through various heating devices (boilers, central heating boilers), which is not without significance for its chemical composition. Given these factors, there's a high probability that hot water will be much more heavily contaminated, primarily with lead. Let's add that even boiling such water has virtually no effect on the lead content. Therefore, it's much better to use cold water for food purposes and heat it yourself.
Cleaning your ears with cotton swabs is a big mistake
Cotton swabs have been taken for granted by society. So the question remains: How did our ancestors clean their ears? The answer may surprise you, but they didn't have to. Ears are perfectly adapted to remain relatively clean almost all the time. The earwax that accumulates in them acts as a kind of protection against bacteria and other microorganisms that could lead to inflammation and infection. It also acts as a moisturizer and even slightly impairs the quality of the sound received. Cleaning your ears with cotton swabs or cotton wool carelessly wrapped around a matchstick is asking for trouble. After all, due to our inattention, we can even damage the eardrum and, in extreme cases, puncture it. Such a procedure is completely pointless, since the hairs present in the ear canal naturally move the wax to the mouth of the ear, where we should collect it. Moreover, washing your ears with water, even if you take a daily bath, is a much better solution than inserting a swab.
Eat meals while watching TV or playing console and computer games
Eating while watching a movie, a series, or a computer/console game, for example, is an easy path to overweight and obesity. Unfortunately, this problem affects many of us and is becoming increasingly common. It's worth remembering that our brains work in a specific way, and distracting it with, for example, a movie or an advertisement distorts our perception of how much we've actually eaten. It's been proven that simply seeing the food we've eaten affects our satiety levels. This means we can eat much less if we're not distracted while eating. This can lead to us consuming vast amounts of calories and feeling hungry again shortly afterward, or feeling the urge to eat something else immediately after eating the previous meal. It's also important to remember that various advertisements, especially those viewed while eating, can increase our appetite. This is dangerous because regularly practicing this behavior can even have a very negative impact on our attitude toward food. It can be extremely frustrating when you haven't been eating much and your weight is spiraling out of control. Therefore, the best solution is to simply eat meals without the accompaniment of additional distractions. It may be difficult at first, but over time, you'll notice a significant difference, including in your well-being.
Eating too quickly is also not good for our health
Unfortunately, we live in times where everything happens very quickly. Our busy daily schedules mean that we often eat on the run. After years of this practice, we get used to it. Fast food is not beneficial, if only because of the poor food fragmentation. Digestive processes begin, so to speak, in the mouth, when food comes into contact with saliva. Furthermore, the degree of chewing of food is extremely important, because the more thoroughly we chew food, the less work our digestive system has to do. Eating too quickly, by ingesting large amounts of air into the stomach, can lead to heartburn, indigestion, and even diarrhea.
Do you use painkillers too often?
The invention of painkillers was quite an event, and to this day they allow us to ward off many types of pain. However, the overuse of painkillers, especially over-the-counter ones, is a real scourge of our time. Reaching for them too often can lead to many serious complications, including liver damage. This organ actively participates in the distribution of these resources into smaller subunits. Furthermore, frequent and excessive consumption of such substances very quickly makes us immune to their effects, forcing us to take ever-increasing doses. It is also worth noting that such medications can also intensify pain, especially after prolonged use. In addition, an increased frequency of headaches after such a procedure is a very common phenomenon. It should be remembered that the frequent use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs significantly burdens and disrupts the functions of the digestive system. As a result of such measures, indigestion, heartburn, diarrhea, and vomiting can occur. Therefore, let us remember that painkillers are not completely indifferent to our health and we should only resort to them when there is a very strong need. After all, these are not sweets or other substances that we can consume in large quantities without significant contraindications and other health effects.
No repositioning while driving
Staying in one sitting position for long periods of time is a simple path to venous thrombosis. A very common mistake, even during long journeys by car, train, plane, or at work, is a lack of leg mobility. Sitting in one place for long periods without changing position leads to venous blood stagnating in the lower extremities. This practice, repeated regularly and for many hours, is very unhealthy. Try moving your legs from time to time, even if you're taking a short walk across the room or stopping for a moment on the side of the road and taking a few steps. All of this will ensure that the blood has somewhere to flow, but you'll also feel significant relief almost immediately. Obviously, there are situations in which even performing such simple actions may prove impossible. In such cases, it's even worth tensing your leg muscles several times in a row and repeating this activity from time to time, because even such movement on our part will be much more beneficial than remaining in the same position without changes.
Falling asleep with contact lenses
A good book read late at night, a less than interesting film, or exhaustion after a hard day at work. These are just some of the factors that can lead to falling asleep with contact lenses. However, it should be remembered that such a process, repeated regularly, can lead to inflammation of the conjunctiva and cornea. After all, these two components of the eye are extremely sensitive to bacteria in our environment. During the day, they are very well protected, simply due to good hydration of the eyes, the correct supply of oxygen, and regular blinking of the eyelids. At night, however, access to these protective barriers is significantly restricted. To make matters worse, bacteria can also accumulate on the lenses themselves, making sleeping in them difficult. In addition, the conditions directly surrounding the eyeball at that time favor their proliferation. It is relatively warm and humid there, and with the help of lenses, we somehow manage it ourselves. Therefore, it is better to make sure that we have removed our contact lenses before going to bed, as this will save us from unpleasant surprises the next morning.
Summary
The examples presented in the text of everyday habits that can be very unhealthy in the long run are just the tip of the iceberg. However, we decided that they are not so obvious and therefore worth discussing. The fact is, not all of us struggle with the above-mentioned problems on a daily basis. However, it is better to be aware of potential threats and be aware of them than to struggle with their health consequences later.
