Most of us work hard to try and look after our health. While we may not be perfect pictures of fitness, we nevertheless generally want to take care of our bodies and thus avoid getting ill while enjoying a longer life. That’s why most people will choose the healthier options when offered food (as long as price and taste aren’t factors) and it’s why a fair proportion of us have a gym membership in our wallet (even though we may not use it).
Looking after your health as you do then, you might be surprised to learn some of the ways in which your wellbeing is still being compromised. And it’s not just because you don’t spend long enough in the gym – you’ll probably be surprised at some of the things that you’ve forgotten or that you were never aware of to start with. Read on to find out how to improve your health by picking up on the little things that get forgotten…
Sleep
One of the big ways that many of us are compromising our health on a daily basis, is by not getting the quality or quantity of sleep that we need. When we sleep is when our body repairs damaged tissue such as muscle tears or cuts and bruises, and it’s when our brain enforces the neural networks that have been formed during the day.
Thus, if you aren’t getting enough sleep, your body will always be operating on a deficit and you will find that you don’t remember things as well, that your muscles begin to ache, and that you’re more likely to get ill.
To counteract this, make sure that your sleeping environment is as well maintained as possible so that there’s no light coming in through your curtains or from your alarm clock. Likewise, you should also make sure that you have blocked out sound, and that you are preparing your body and mind for sleep in the hour or so leading up to bed.
Finally, make sure that you aren’t suffering from any potential sleep conditions such as apnoea or sleepwalking which can take it out of you without you even being aware.
Air Quality
We all know how important air is to our health – without it we wouldn’t last very long at all. What’s also important though, is that that air be good quality and that we don’t breathe in anything unwanted without realising it at the same time.
If you have mould in your property for instance, then mould spores will enter the air and you’ll find your sleep is affected and that you’re more likely to develop breathing conditions. Likewise, if you live by a main road and have the windows open, the smoke you’ll breathe in will increase your chances of cancer while also making you feel just a little less well in the meantime. Get some air conditioning if you don’t want to damage your health by breathing, or better yet, move out to somewhere rural.
Stress
We all know that stress isn’t good for us, but not all of us know just how bad it can be or just how many negative effects it has on us. Stress of course can damage you psychologically and lead to depression and anxiety, but at the same time it can also place a severe strain on your immune system and impact on your sleep quality. If you feel stressed on a regular basis, then you need to get to the bottom of why it is.
Sun
The sun is good for us in a large number of ways and can improve our mood while at the same encouraging the production of vitamin D and giving us a healthy glow. Like all things though, too much sun can still be bad news, so it’s important to limit your exposure and to protect yourself when you’re in direct sunlight. Otherwise you’ll get burned in the short-term, and you’ll increase your chances of developing skin cancer in the long term.
All these little things can add up to have a big impact on your health, so the moral of the story is that you shouldn’t just be focussed on the more obvious aspects of your health and you should never just say ‘oh well’ if you’re feeling stressed or tired. The devil is in the details, so don’t let your health be compromised.