Healthy Lifestyles: Hygiene

Hygiene plays a vital role in maintaining your health. There is no risk to having good hygiene, but having poor hygiene increases your risks for bacterial, viral, and parasitic infections, as well as gastroenteritis, food poisoning, hepatitis A, influenza, common cold, giardiasis, roundworms and threadworms. In order to have good personal hygiene, make sure to brush your teeth, shower, and wear clean clothes regularly. You can also wash your face or use face masks, and moisturizers to take care of acne. Some reasons why you need good hygiene are:

• Disease Prevention

• Social and Professional Acceptance

• Higher Confidence and Self Esteem

• Pain Prevention

Disease Prevention: Having good hygiene decreases your risks of getting diseases/illnesses spread through viruses and bacteria. You’re in constant contact with germs and bacteria every time you cough and sneeze, use a restroom, touch surfaces or other people. It is important that you wash your hands regularly after coming into contact with any of these and before eating, so you don’t get yourself or others sick. Brushing your teeth and flossing regularly decreases your risk of gum disease and you should brush your teeth after every meal or at least 2 times a day. Showering removes bacteria and dead skin cells, and you should be shower several times a week, unless you need to shower after working out or something.

Social and Professional Acceptance: Poor hygiene can affect your relationships negatively. Hanging around people with bad hygiene can be very uncomfortable when they have bad breath or body odor, and it puts you at risk for diseases and infections. When people are looking to employ somebody, they want someone who looks clean and practices good hygiene habits, as to not put other workers and customers at risk for anything dangerous. Research has shown that having poor hygiene was one of the main reasons why kids are bullied at school. Teaching children early on how to take care themselves is important because it instills a good habit for them in life.

Higher Confidence and Self Esteem: Having good hygiene can help you feel more confident physically and mentally. Poor hygiene can affect your moods, and how you feel about yourself and interact with others. Feeling dirty, unwashed, and unkempt can put your physical health at risk, as well as make you feel uncomfortable, irritable, and anxious. Good hygiene makes you feel more positive about yourself and can increase your success with school, work, or personal hobbies.

Pain Prevention: Maintaining good hygiene can prevent you from experiencing any pain caused by medical conditions. For example, failing to brush your teeth can lead to gum diseases which can cause toothaches and tooth loss. Not changing your sweaty socks after working out can cause athlete’s foot, which can lead to nail infections that cause pain and inflammation under your nails.

Practicing good hygiene should be done on a regular basis and should be a part of your daily routine. It can improve physical, mental and psychological aspects of your life.