The human body is a finely-tuned mechanism. However, it is not impervious to changes in its environment. If you abuse it too much, it’ll lose its capacity to bounce back and, eventually, you’ll run into problems.
Interestingly, nature (for the most part) supports the human body. It’s our modern lifestyles that work against it. Here are some of the dangerous habits you have that are throwing your body out of whack and how to avoid them.
Falling Asleep On The Couch In Front Of The TV
Falling asleep on the couch in front of the TV might be tempting, but it can damage your health. Sleep, according to the Better Sleep Council, should be continuous, uninterrupted, and in a cool, dark place. If you have the TV on in the background and you keep waking up, you’re not giving your body the rest it needs. Worse still, you may be undermining your ability to sleep at night.
The trick here is to turn the TV off if you find yourself getting drowsy in the evening and then do something else. If you feel especially tired, you can go to bed early and get an extra hour in the sack.
Poor Posture
Sitting and slouching on the couch for more than an hour can give you a tension headache. That’s because your head weighs more than 10 pounds and puts a lot of stress on the surrounding tissue. These then get overworked, leading to pain.
The fix is to go to a chiropractor for an adjustment. Once you make your body more balanced, you can cope better with your lifestyle. This is particularly true for people who work in offices all day long and spend most of their time sedentary.
Nail Biting
Nail biting might seem like a harmless habit, but it is actually quite bad for you. Germs transfer from your mouth to your nails, causing inflammation and infection in the nail bed. Likewise, germs from the hands can enter the mouth, leading to gastric issues, colds, and flu.
Nail biting is usually a response to stress. Therefore, it’s a good idea to address the sources of stress in your life first. If you feel pressured at work, take some time out. If you have a problem in your personal life, deal with it head-on.
If that isn’t practical for you, you can apply certain types of nail polish to your fingers and hands. These taste awful, letting you know as soon as you inadvertently bite your nails.
Wearing The Wrong Shoes
In general, wearing shoes isn’t good for people. While it might protect their feet from sharp objects, it actually changes the way we walk, leading to a host of biomechanical issues.
The trick here is to change your shoes. If you constantly wear high heels, it will eventually take its toll on your body. Instead, choose flats or, better yet, shoes that conform to the shape of your feet and allow more movement. If you must wear heels, take them off immediately after you finish using them.
