Well, it turns out that all of these and more seemingly harmless habits can pose a serious risk to your health and wellbeing. To see our list of harmful everyday habits, continue reading.
1. Postponing a bathroom break
What are the health dangers?
Bladder and kidney disease.
Intestinal problems, particularly fissures.
Holding it in is very harmful to your health. The bladder muscles can become constrained and it can lead to not being able to empty your bladder completely or not being able to control your bladder at all. These problems, in turn, create a habitat for bacteria, which cause bladder and kidney infection.
On the digestive side of things, postponing that bathroom break can lead to constipation and tears in the intestines called fissures. These are very painful and prone to bleeding. They form when you’re straining too much as a result of constipation.
2. Holding in a sneeze
What are the health dangers?
Can cause ear infections.
You can tear your throat or esophagus.
While it may seem like a polite thing to do in certain situations, you should never hold in a sneeze because it is very dangerous, especially for people prone to ear infections and problems with blood pressure.
Not only can it lead to nosebleeds, headaches, and dizziness, but also to painful inner ear infections, sinusitis or worse. For example, in 2016 a 34-year-old British man was admitted to a hospital after stifled his sneeze, which led to a tear in his throat.
3. Taking hot showers
What are the health dangers?
Headaches and dizziness.
Irritates your skin and scalp.
I know that a hot shower feels amazing, but it is actually very bad for your skin and hair. Taking a hot shower worsens whatever skin or hair condition you have. If your hair gets greasy fast, washing it with hot water will make it dirty even faster.
People with dry and sensitive skin, on the other hand, will see that their skin becomes even redder and more sensitive after the hot shower, stripping it of the much-needed moisture. Finally, people with high blood pressure should stay away from a hot shower because it can make them dizzy and cause headaches.
4. Using toothpicks
What are the health dangers?
Gum disease.
When something gets stuck in your teeth, it’s much safer to use dental floss and not toothpicks, as the latter can potentially ruin the tooth enamel at the base of the tooth and irritate the gums, leading to gum disease. Toothpicks are not as effective as brushes and floss at cleaning the teeth either and the often worsen the problem by pushing the particles that are stuck even further in the gums or in-between teeth.
5. Chewing on hard objects
What are the health dangers?
Infection.
Dental problems.
Very much like the previous habit, chewing on hard objects can harm your enamel and cause fractures. However, if you chew on different objects, such as pens, it can also introduce different bacteria to your mouth and cause infection.
6. Sleeping face down
What are the health dangers?
Neck pain.
Blood circulation.
Aging skin.
When you sleep on your stomach, it constrains your neck muscles and compresses the already-vulnerable vertebrae. Over time, it can irritate your spinal cord and cause neck pain.
The unnatural position of your spine when sleeping face down also worsens the blood supply to the neck and head, which causes problems with blood circulation.
Finally, some dermatologists claim that sleeping on your face can make your face age faster because of the wrinkles caused during sleep.