Humans are creatures of habit. We all have a number of habits that are either good or bad. Whilst we enjoy benefiting from our good habits, bad habits can cause serious problems in our lives.
Not all bad habits are recognised by the person either, they continue throughout their entire lives not realising they are even doing the habit. This year, take back control and kick the following 3 bad habits. Some of which you may not be aware you’re doing.
1. Lack of Sleep
We’re all aware of how important sleep is to our health and an increasing body of evidence is coming to light to support this notion. Scientists are now realising the negative health effects from a continuous lack of quality sleep are much more serious than previously believed.
In a modern world full of distraction, people simply aren’t getting enough sleep required for optimal health. An increasing number of people are exchanging their quality sleep for TV series, video games and browsing social media.
It’s thought 68% of Americans are unable to get quality sleep at least once a week. This is bad news for public health. Quality sleep is now being directly linked to long-term health and happiness. Regular poor sleep can put you at risk of serious medical conditions, including obesity, heart disease, diabetes and depression. It also shortens your life expectancy.
This year, try to kick the habit of late nights and get a full 7 to 8 hours for better health.
2. Smoking
One of the most popular bad habits on the planet, smoking cigarettes. Initiatives, campaigns, higher taxation, and package display laws have all helped to reduce the number of people smoking in countries like the UK and USA. However, smoking is still a very popular bad habit amongst many populations across the world.
There has never been a better time to kick this terrible habit with a number of support networks, advice centres, online guides and products that can all support you in kicking the habit.
E-cigarettes have blown up in popularity since their release a few years ago and many people have reported that they have helped them quit normal smoking. E-cigarettes have been found to be far less harmful than normal cigarettes as they do not include any of the thousands of harmful chemicals normally found in cigarettes. You can select different flavour liquids to suit your taste and you can get the best e-liquids online.
3. Working Late
Our jobs are often demanding which requires us to work late sometimes but the frequency in which we work late is escalating. What’s more, our hard work and late nights are far less productive or beneficial as we like to think they are. A lot of overtime in the office is often not noticed or appreciated, but we think it will get us ahead anyway.
Working long hours on a continuous basis is not good for our long-term health, both physical and mental. If your job requires you to work late almost every night of the week then it is most likely you have too much work for one person.
Working late every so often is normal, every night of the week is not. Working late affects our sleep patterns, eating habits, relationships, and emotional well-being. Start saying “no” to overtime and speak to your boss about how to resolve the situation.
4. Excessive Drinking
Many of us like to go out for a drink every once in a while. We might go to a bar with friends, we might have a glass of wine with a meal out, we might head down to the pub on a sunny day and sit in the beer garden. This is fine. In moderate quantities, alcohol isn’t excessively bad for you.
But it’s important that you don’t exceed the recommended guidelines for your sex, age and size. Drinking too much or too regularly can have seriously negative consequences for your health and wellbeing.
If you find that you’re struggling with drinking, use services from professional bodies like the Harley Street Alcohol Detox Organisation. They’ll be able to guide you in the right direction.
