5 Health Mistakes You Make Every Day

by | Jan 10, 2023 | Health

A run-through of your day which is surprisingly fraught with serious health mistakes:

7am You Brush Just After Breakfast

Brushing after eating acidic foods-especially fruit and juice-can weaken enamel, says Dr. Mark Wolff of NYU College of Dentistry. That may lead to discolouration or greater odds of cracks and chips.

Rinse and Wait: Didn’t brush before eating? Swish with water and wait 40 minutes for the calcium in your saliva to remineralize weakened areas. Then brush.

READ MORE: 4 Muscle Mistakes You’re Making And How To Fix Them

8.30am You Commute with the Windows Open

Air pollution on highways can be up to 10 times what it is in the burbs, says Dr. Scott Fruin, an environmental health researcher at USC. Diesel fumes may contribute to headaches, cancer and heart disease.

Recirculate: Shut the windows and hit “recirc” on your AC. Doing this can cut your particulate pollution exposure fourfold, one of Fruin’s studies found.

1pm You Microwave Your Lunch in Plastic

BPA-free? It’s better, but not perfect. Phthalates can still leach into your food, potentially damaging sperm and altering hormones, says Dr. Germaine Buck Louis, a director at the National Institutes of Health.

Bet Your Ass on Glass: Transfer food to glass before nuking it, or warm it on the stove at home and pack it in a stainless-steel thermos to keep it hot

7.30pm You Drive Home After Happy Hour

People with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of just .01 percent—well below the .05 legal limit in SA—are 46 percent more likely to cause a crash than drivers who are totally sober, a UC San Diego study reveals.

Chew Before Brews: Cut your BAC by 30 percent by eating beforehand, says Dr. Aaron White of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

READ MORE: The 5 Biggest Mistakes Weightlifters Always Seem to Make

10.30pm You Check Your Work Email Before Bed

Managers who use their smartphone for work after 9pm wake up groggy, a University of Florida study found. And a large Singaporean study shows that too little sleep can raise your odds of dying of stroke.

Power Down: Keep the charging station out of the bedroom, and turn off email notifications after 9pm. If it’s an emergency, someone will call.

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