5 Unhealthy Habits That Have Worse Effects Than You Can Imagine

Who likes feeling sleepy, tired, and worn out all the time? Not only is all this a nuisance to deal with, but this can make it hard for you to get through the day without feeling frustrated. This is why you need to start taking care of yourself regarding your mental, physical, and emotional well-being.

The habits you take up play an essential role in your life. If you keep giving power to unhealthy lifestyle choices, it will reflect on your person. You deserve to live a fulfilling life and relish every moment without fearing that your health is taking a turn for the first. So begin evaluating your habits today and consider what you need to let go of. To help you get to the other side of this journey, here’s what you need to do:

1. Tackle Your Codependency Problem

We all have our vices. But once these habits get out of control and begin seeping into your life, becoming a constant battle with codependency, you need to stop. If you enjoy alcohol or smoking now and then, monitor how much you indulge in these activities. An occasional drink or two is OK, as long as it’s in moderation. However, you must break the cycle once you become habitual in losing count and can’t tell how much you’ve consumed. Codependency issues are detrimental to your health.

It impairs your judgment, harms your body, and in extreme cases, gives you intense withdrawals, which can result in you getting hospitalized. Think of it as a hole you’ve dug for yourself; if you continue prolonging getting help, the deeper you’ll go. Hence your only way out is to apply for treatment and push yourself to get sober. Many resources are in place to help you, from experts to counselors to centers designed to empower you to get back on your feet.

2. Having A Late Night Meal

Your body needs time to perform important biochemical reactions. This includes digesting food and metabolizing it for energy. You need to follow your circadian rhythm and eat according to the routine it follows. If you’re used to sleeping by nine pm, ensure you’re done eating by 6 pm. When you don’t give your body the space to digest a meal, it will stress your organs. You also increase the risk of metabolic syndrome, a group of conditions including insulin resistance, obesity, and high blood pressure.

Similarly, eating later in the night can disturb your acid reflux, making you nauseous and bloated often. The only way around this phenomenon is by having your meals early, choosing healthy snacks, and not allowing yourself to stray toward processed foods. If you’re on a strict schedule, you can try your hand at intermittent fasting.

3. Not Showering Enough

You need to maintain a certain level of hygiene. This varies from person to person. Your cleanliness depends on what activities you engage in, the condition of your skin, and how much sweat you produce. For instance, if you have psoriasis, taking two showers a day can trigger your skin condition, making you itchy and leading to more dried-out skin. But, if you’re someone who frequents the gym every day and sweats profusely, you must wash up as much as possible.

However, if you are used to not showering for days and letting weeks of dead skin and bacteria build-up, you can make yourself sick. Lack of showering can lead to numerous issues, such as foul-smelling odor, especially around the groin and armpits. The dead skin cells, diets, sweat, and bacteria can lead to acne, eczema, and dermatitis. In extreme cases of dermatitis, you may have patches of plaque and hyperpigmentation around your body.

4. Skipping Out Of Water

Your body is made up of more than 70% water. It is the primary medium in which many valuable solvents dissolve and get transported around your body. At the same time, your body needs water to produce urine, keep your body temperature under control and restore electrolyte balance, which is why you need to start hydrating no matter how busy you are. Water is also suitable for rejuvenating and feeling refreshed, making it ideal for your emotional health. Juices, soda, and packaged beverages are not a substitute for water, so if you’re operating under the assumption that you had plenty of juice in the morning and don’t need water, stop right there.

As a man, you need about 13 cups of fluid daily, while a woman needs about 9. If your work is physically demanding and makes you sweat, you may need to kick up your water intake. You can dehydrate yourself when you drink less water than your body needs. This is a severe complication that may cause heat injury, kidney problems like stones, seizures, and in extreme circumstances, a hypovolemic shock, a low blood volume case. In this situation, the lack of hydration can cause a massive drop in your blood pressure and impact the oxygen level in your body. Without timely intervention, this can also be fatal.

5. Not Sleeping Enough

While it is understandable that you cannot sleep enough at night because of your intense schedule and job, you still need to find ways to rest. Sleep helps your body to relax and heal. Deep breathing during the REM cycle provides your brain with oxygen-rich blood, which is suitable for its development. Ideally, you should get at least eight hours of sleep at night. Consecutively missing out on sleep can result in chronic health conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, heart failure, and coronary heart failure. There’s also a chance you may have a stroke.

Final Thoughts

Your health depends on the habits you take up. If you choose to indulge in a lifestyle that does nothing but put your well-being at risk, you can end up with complications that can severely deteriorate your quality of life. Hence, start actively combatting all your unhealthy habits, such as codependency, treating yourself to late-night meals, and not minding your hygiene.

While the first few days of straightening out your life can be challenging, staying consistent can make it easier for you to turn a new leaf in life. Moreover, become more frequent in drinking water and establish a routine that lets you get at least eight hours of sleep with no interruptions.