8 Everyday Things We Do That Are Actually Harmful for Us

Life is full of surprises, and some of them can be quite jaw-dropping. For example, when the things you’ve been doing daily for years turn out to, slowly but surely, take away your health points. Who’d have ever thought those seemingly harmless things could put you at risk. Well, better to find out late than never.

Bright Side reveals 8 things that secretly prevent you from living a healthy life.

1. Wearing flip-flops

Your toes bend excessively to keep flip-flops on and are more exposed to fungal infections. Besides, it’s not uncommon to get shin splints and muscle pain. Heel, back, and knee pain are also familiar to flip-flop lovers. Another common issue is that over-gripping at the toe joint can worsen existing bunions.

2. Using mouthwash after tooth brushing

Use mouthwash only after eating or before brushing your teeth. When you rinse your teeth with it, you rinse off the high concentration fluoride for a low concentration fluoride, which attracts microbes. Eventually, this habit will lead to tooth decay.

3. Wearing skinny jeans

Tight jeans reduce blood flow and basically leave your muscles gasping for more oxygen. Skinny jeans also lead to fungal infections like thrush. Besides, they cause more frequent urination and even bladder weakness.

4. Printing at home

Laser printers and those that use printer toner overall release extremely small particles that can cause cardiovascular or respiratory damage when you’re near them. One study carried out on rats showed that a 21-day exposure to toner particles disturbed their metabolism, immune response, and other biological processes.

5. Reading while lying in bed.

Bedtime reading sounds like a relaxing thing to do, yet, it’s actually quite harmful. It puts a lot of strain on the eyes. The position isn’t suitable since the reading distance should be about 15 inches with an angle of 60 degrees.

When you read lying down, your eyes have to focus upward and maintain an uncomfortable angle for a long time. This causes discomfort, blurred vision, and headaches.

6. Using air fresheners.

Most fresheners contain harmful chemicals that neutralize odors. They are also potential allergens and environmental toxins. The frequent use of artificial fragrances can cause lung damage and asthma. It’s also advisable to stay away from them since the air freshener industry is hardly controlled, and we don’t know if these products are safe for us.

7. Resting your face on your hands.

The first reason is hygiene — resting your face in your not-so-clean hand can cause acne and spread germs. The second reason — you’re maintaining a bad sitting posture. You might not notice that, since supporting your head makes it more comfortable to sit for longer periods of time. So, your spine adapts to the incorrect position and, as a result, your posture worsens.

8. Wearing pointy-toed shoes.

Pointy-toed shoes look great on the outside, but ruin your feet on the inside. Due to the unnatural shape of the toe, you get a bunch of side effects: hammertoes, corns, bunions, and calluses. The shoes also cause nerve inflammation, mostly between the third and the fourth toes. Therapy, injections, or, in grave cases, surgery are used to treat the consequences.

Which things do you do regularly? What other things can secretly harm our health?