Want to be the healthiest version of yourself? Most of us do, but we tend to forget that some of our habits and behaviors can actually get in the way of our health. A recent Reddit post serves as a reminder by asking, “Medical professionals, what are some of the most mundane reasons most people are unaware of that make them sick?”
More than 4-thousand people have chimed in so far and these are some of the best responses:
- "Not finishing antibiotics. Always finish the full course you are prescribed. You might think you're better. But the bacteria may not be dead and it’s going to come back stronger."
- "Wash. Your. Hands. I don’t mean a little squirt of soap and then immediately rinse it off, I mean wash your hands for the whole 20 seconds. If you don't, you could get Norovirus/Sapovirus, C. Diff, and more. Trust me, you don’t want these things."
- "After a certain age (different for everyone), you should eliminate every slippery pair of socks, uneven area rugs, or other tripping hazards in your home. Small trip hazards in your house may not seem like a big deal, but they could lead to an injury that you never recover from, and it's a very common problem."
- "Swimming with contact lenses in. They get super nasty infections."
- "Do not let your dog lick an open wound! A dog's mouth is full of bacteria. No, they don't have 'clean mouths' like we were told when we were kids."
- "An untreated sleep apnea is terrible for you. Over time, it can lead to heart problems, diabetes, stroke, and even shorten your lifespan. Just use the CPAP."
- "Not brushing your teeth. Mouth bacteria can lead to a hundred different head-to-toe issues, and it can even kill you."
- "Psych nurse here. Don’t stop your meds because you’re 'feeling better.' Why do you think you feel better?"
- "Consistently getting less than seven hours of sleep. Even if it's six and a half hours, it's enough to suppress your immune system. This is because deep sleep is essential for T-cell function, the cells that seek out and destroy infected cells and cancer. Chronic short sleep leads to more frequent infections and takes longer to recover."
Source: BuzzFeed