5 Surprising Habits That Help Support Your Health

We all know the classic rules of good hygiene: bathe regularly, wash your hands, take your vitamins, and cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze. But when it comes to healthy habits, there are a number of ways we can support our wellness, including some not-so-obvious practices that can help keep our bodies feeling good.

Below, check out five surprising healthy habits to try that can enhance your wellness regimen.

1. Thoroughly Chewing Your Food

Hungry? Before you gobble down your meal, don’t forget to chew – a lot. Excessively chewing your food is actually good for you! With the average person only chewing their food about three to five times with each bite, food isn’t being broken down as well as it could be for optimal digestion. Instead, experts suggest chewing food up to 30 times each bite. By doing this, the food will be broken down into more easily digestible morsels and create saliva, which contains digestive enzymes that help break down food.

2. Regularly Disinfecting Your Phone

In today’s world, we’re rarely without our phones. We’re constantly hearing about the detrimental effects of mobile phone usage on physical and mental health, but there’s another concern to look out for: germs. Very rarely do people clean their cell phones, so germs and bacteria can build up and accumulate easily on your screen. Plus, cell phones are the ideal vehicles for spreading germs to other people. All it takes is a phone call or a swipe from someone else to transfer bacteria. Combat germ build-up by cleaning your smartphone at least once a day, or more often if you tend to pass it around to friends or family members.

3. Practicing Good Nail Care

According to the CDC, good nail hygiene can help reduce the spread of germs. You can combat germs by diligently cleaning fingernails, as well as keeping nails short and trimmed often. Since dirt and germs can live easily under fingernails, nails should be kept short and the undersides should be cleaned frequently with soap and water. If you’re a frequent salon-goer, make sure your manicurist has sterilized all tools before use, and be sure they avoid cutting your cuticles, as cuticles act as barriers to prevent infection. So next time you have a spare five minutes, indulge in some self-care and give yourself a manicure. It’s one of those healthy lifestyle habits you’ll be more than happy to practice on the regular!

4. Letting Your Ear Wax Build Up (a Little)

Just like many other parts of our body, our ears are self-cleaning. They have their own internal cleaning mechanism, which involves the natural production of earwax. So, if you swab your ears regularly, it may actually be working against you by removing wax that’s there to protect the ears. Ear wax helps to prevent bacteria and other infectious organisms from reaching the inner ear, and it absorbs dead skin cells and debris. Plus, it’s a natural moisturizer, that helps prevent the skin inside the ear from becoming too dry. Using a swab to remove that wax can actually condense and impact the earwax further into the ear canal, resulting in pain, pressure and possibly even temporary hearing issues. Ultimately, letting ear wax build up a bit can be beneficial for your health.

5. Sleeping in the Nude

We hope you like your “birthday suit,” because sleeping in the nude has a wide range of health benefits. Sleeping naked can actually help regulate your body temperature overnight, which allows for a more peaceful sleep. Wearing pajamas to bed can interfere with the ability to naturally regulate body temperature, making it harder to fall asleep and sleep soundly. Sleeping soundly can help to reduce stress levels by decreasing the amount of your body’s cortisol (stress hormones), so an uninterrupted night of rest is really doing double-duty! Plus, staying cool at night can help support your metabolism since your body has to work to generate more heat. So, when it comes time to catch some zzz’s, consider doing it in the buff.

There you have it. From sanitizing your smartphone to stripping down before you sleep, adopting some of these surprising healthy habits can help keep your wellness in check and support your best self.  

SOURCES

By clicking any of the links below you will be taken to an external website that is independently operated and not managed by GSK. GSK assumes no responsibility for the content on the website. If you do not wish to leave this website, do not click on the links below.

i. Bustle: 15 Surprising Habits That Are Actually Good for You

https://www.bustle.com/p/15-surprising-habits-that-are-actually-good-for-you-8886638   

Accessed 11.5.2020

ii. Healthline: If Your Gut Could Talk: 10 Things You Should Know

https://www.healthline.com/health/digestive-health/things-your-gut-wants-you-to-know

Accessed 11.5.2020

iii. Health.com: Your Phone is Covered with Germs – Here’s How to Disinfect It

https://www.health.com/cold-flu-sinus/disinfect-your-phone-cold-flu-season

Accessed 11.5.2020

vi. CDC: Water, Sanitation & Environmentally-related Hygiene

 https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/hygiene/hand/nail_hygiene.html

Accessed 11.5.2020

v. Harvard Health: 3 Reasons to Leave Earwax Alone

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/3-reasons-to-leave-earwax-alone-2017051711718

Accessed 11.5.2020

vi. Entrepreneur.com: 10 Weird Habits That Can Actually Be Good For You

https://www.entrepreneur.com/slideshow/309123

Accessed 11.5.2020

vii. Psychology Today: Why You Should Be Sleeping in the Nude

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/sleep-newzzz/201508/why-you-should-be-sleeping-in-the-nude

Accessed 11.5.2020