6 Everyday Habits That Could Kill You

#1 - Texting While You Walk/Drive

Texting while you’re taking a walk or driving might not affect your health in any way, but it can certainly be deadly if you don’t pay enough attention to your surroundings. A recent study has shown that people who are crossing an intersection while texting were around four times less likely to look before traversing, which increases the risk of being hit by a vehicle, especially if the driver is texting as well. To summarize – texting is dangerous while you’re performing tasks that demand your maximum concentration.

#2 – Sitting in Front of the TV

Sitting in front of the TV has become one of the least healthy behaviors of modern-day people. The process of watching a TV show or a movie is not a problem by itself, but it’s the high-calorie foods we snack while sitting in front of the television that’s bad. Most people won’t grab an apple or some other healthy snack, but rather a bag of chips or peanuts, which will definitely help you pack on some calories. Excess weight that comes when this practice becomes an everyday thing puts you at greater risk of arthritis, heart diseases, cancer, and many other diseases as well.

#3 – Eating at Your Desk

According to a research from The American Journal, you’re more likely to overeat if you’re sitting in front of your computer while eating. When you browse through YouTube or Facebook while eating, you’re distracted and don’t pay attention to the amount of food you consume. Just like with watching the TV and snacking, this can lead to the excess weight, which in turn leads to many aforementioned diseases. Instead of eating in front of your computer, take a break and walk to your office’s kitchen or even better, a spot outside, and have lunch there.

#4 – Physical Inactivity

Excess weight and diseases that accompany it doesn’t come only from overeating, but from physical inactivity as well. Regular physical activity such as a 20-30 minute run or even a brisk walk every day can not only control your weight, but also reduce the risk of many cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, and even some cancers. Moreover, it will positively affect your mood and mental health, and strengthen your muscles and bones.

#5 – Smoking

This is an obvious one, as there is no popular habit on our planet that is as harmful as smoking cigarettes. This habit is responsible for one in five deaths in the United States for example, and the statistics are not too much different in other countries. Smoking causes nearly 90 percent of all lung cancers, and increases the risk of developing throat, mouth and bladder cancer, strokes, and high blood pressure among other diseases. If you opt to quit smoking, you’ll have almost instant health benefits, since your lungs and cardiovascular system will begin the process of self-repairing. A month after you’ve quit smoking, you should have more energy, have less shortness of breath and be coughing less. Not only will the risk of different diseases start dropping, but your breath will be much fresher as well, and you won’t have that unpleasant tobacco smell on your clothes.

#6 – Cleaning Your Ears

Here’s a habit that probably didn’t come to your mind when you read the title of this article; however, there were cases when improper way of cleaning ears led to person’s death. For example, just a few years ago a man from Montreal, Canada died after contracting meningitis from bacteria that entered through his eardrum. The eardrum is very fragile, and he managed to puncture it during vigorous cleaning with cotton swabs. While the chances that this will happen to you are very slim, many doctors today suggest that people stay away from cotton swabs, and from excessive ear cleaning in general.

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