There are many things that are detrimental to our health, such as spending too many hours by the computer and too few exercising, for instance. But nowadays, people are quite aware of what can negatively affect their well-being, whether they do something about it or not.
Some things can take their toll on a person without them even realizing, though. Members of the ‘Ask Reddit’ community recently discussed the topic after a redditor asked them what is something super detrimental to one’s health that most people don’t realize. Quite a few netizens shared their thoughts on the matter, covering everything from shoes to bosses, and beyond, so scroll down to find them and see what other surprising things can be more dangerous than you would think.
#1
Missing sleep
Image credits: nobody333254
#2
Comparing yourself to people. It’s terrible for your mental health.
Image credits: Dances28
#3
Shift work. Nights, followed by lates, followed by earlies. Physiologically so destructive.
I work for the emergency services so it’s essential 24/7. The management are pretty good but we’ve been shafted on pay at a national level. Still attritional on the body.
Image credits: Atiankup
#4
Not doing things that you loved as a kid before you were concerned with adult responsibilities.
Stress is bad for your brain and a lot of people don’t have healthy ways to relieve it.
Image credits: 716green
#5
For the love of God drink some plain water and eat some vegetables…signed your x-ray tech & physicians lol.
Image credits: JoyfullyMortified43
#6
If you do a lot of sitting (like a desk job or a lot of commuting or trucking) and keep your wallet in your back pocket, you’re going to f**k up your spine.
Image credits: ThisIsTheCaptain
#7
Not sleeping enough, working too much.
No, drinking gallons of coffee will not counteract the negative effects caused by these, neither will oversleeping on weekends.
Image credits: Humble_Plane1924
#8
Not brushing and flossing as often as you should. It’s not an aesthetic reason. Bad dental hygiene can kill.
Image credits: penndelnj
#9
Not stretching your body everyday, hell at least a few times a week.
Image credits: spicegrl17
#10
Short videos epidemic and almost every popular app/website has them now. Watching endless short videos of 10 seconds or less really messes up our attention span. Especially for children in their development stage.
Image credits: ZaagKicks
#11
Lack of sleep and proper hydration.
Image credits: Full_Caterpillar_950
#12
Constant stimulus from our phones. Makes us bored easily and increases feelings of loneliness. Makes doing things without watching anything on our phones or being with someone a lot more mentally taxing.
Edit: LMFAO everytime I get a notification on this thread, I check my phone. Hehehe it’s 3AM now where I’m at… hehehe… We’re all f*****g doomed.
Image credits: AngryPlasmaCell
#13
Not keeping on top of dental hygiene. Not only does it affect your teeth and gums, gingivitis can affect your joints and cause pain, and the bacteria in your mouth goes into your bloodstream and can affect your heart. There was a period of time where I didn’t go to the dentist for three years (moved to a new state for college, extremely busy with schoolwork, never had a chance to find a new place), flossed maybe a few times here and there, wasn’t always brushing twice a day, and I was right on the cusp of having periodontal disease with irreversible consequences. In that time, I also had increasing joint pain in my hands, wrist, knees, and hips.
Don’t skip the dentist.
Image credits: DesertIslandDisk74
#14
Stress and anxiety
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#15
Toxic relationship
Image credits: Michael_Scott_1290
#16
loneliness
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#17
Soda, the sugar in those is literally insane
Image credits: MisterWapak
#18
S****y people, especially if they are family.
Image credits: bold-n-tired
#19
Poverty.
Now of course we all know poverty isn’t good for anyone but even now, I don’t think we as a society realize just how bad it is.
It backs you into so many corners concerning your health. Worse food, less time for exercise, more stress in life, less money to address physical issues, it keeps you stuck in toxic environments (both mentally and physically).
It’s just a lot of negative compounding interest.
Image credits: tsh87
#20
Energy drinks. Yes, people know that they’re bad, but not how bad. A lot of people drink them just about every day. Do that for 5-10 years and the effects are second only to hard drugs.
There’s no quicker way to a heart attack or debilitating conditions like diabetes, arrhythmia and numerous other heart conditions.
Imagine consuming a Monster energy drink as a batch of raw ingredients. 14 teaspoons of sugar, 4 teaspoons of coffee, far too much vitamin B (up to 300% daily recommended). With an added 230 calories and 60 grams of carbs.
IMO the consumption of energy drinks should (and probably one day will) be restricted from underage persons like alcohol and tobacco are, and should also not be glamorized like it is.
Image credits: EmkayUltraMagoo
#21
The cascading effects of drugs, particularly alcohol. If you get drunk one night, your chances of making bad dietary choices and skipping workouts increases for days.
If you’re drinking most weekends it really does kill your potential because you’re just not operating at 100% for the majority of your life.
People know that alcohol isn’t so great, but I highly doubt most people understand how much time it truly takes from you.
Image credits: NoPerformance9890
#22
Losing a pet, 100%. Definitely not at all taken as seriously as other familial losses, and it should be. It can take a serious toll on your mental health AND physical health.
Image credits: Routine_Western1191
#23
Ongoing, chronic stress. It has physical effects that vary from person to person ranging from chronic sleeplessness, obesity, heart conditions and even death. A person’s ability to adapt and be resilient is impaired. The motto of ‘that which does not kill you makes you stronger,’ is wrong and dangerous.
And yet we all go about our lives like chronic stress is a normal, laudable part of the human condition.
Image credits: Ready-Yeti
#24
Just keep active as possible. Even if it’s a walk a day around your street.
#25
Passengers should NEVER rest their feet on the dash of the car; because when the air bag does its thing, it has only one way to go. Several terrible things can happen at this point: 1. Your knees get pushed into your face, and I won’t paint that picture. Or, 2. Your hips are dislocated.
#26
I’m not a medical professional and this is not medical advice.
Where are your neck and shoulders right now? Are they leaning forward and down? Long term, that causes a lot of damage and inflammation throughout the neck, shoulders, and upper back. If you have to force it to maintain good posture, it’s not good posture. Try strengthening those back muscles. Make them do their job. You’ll know you have good posture when you don’t have to think about it.
Also for the love of God, most of us aren’t in pain because we’re old. You’re in pain because you abused your body for decades before paying attention to the damage it caused. You’re only as old as you feel.
Also, if you have full range of motion, don’t stretch it. If it feels tight and you have full range of motion, it’s not a mobility issue and stretching won’t help it. In fact, if you stretch a joint that is already too mobile, that will cause inflammation. If your joint has too much motion, you need to strengthen it instead.
Also, does your lower back hurt? Try stretching your hip flexors. They’re probably yanking your glutes and overstretching the lower back.
#27
Trauma. It’s stored in our body and can cause detrimental damage physically and mentally. Feel free to look up studies.
Image credits: momonkey25
#28
Lack of exercise. In addition to the numerous physical benefits of exercise, it also does wonders for your mental health and ability to cope with stress.
Image credits: DeathSpiral321
#29
Some basements produce Radon gas which comes from the soil. It is the second leading cause of lung cancer. Almost no one tests for it.
Image credits: BitingArtist
#30
Working 40+ hours a week. It’s arbitrary and scientifically proven to be unhealthy
Image credits: Smellmyhand
#31
Gatorade is really bad for your teeth.
Image credits: sleepypanda59
#32
Unyielding dedication to your job
Image credits: thattallhorsegirl
#33
Bad shoes.
A lot of people think that bad shies will cause foot pain, but they can also cause leg, hip, and back pain, and more.
I was amazed how good I felt after getting a professionally-fit pair of work shoes
Image credits: goodiecornbread
#34
Breathing polluted air
#35
A lack of vitamin d. I never got out of the house except for going to work or the store due to mental health issues.
Now, some of my hair has fallen out, my immune system is compromised (which makes me scared for the harsh cold weather that’s about to come up), and I can feel it energy wise and in my bones.
I haven’t had a depressive episode since February or march of this year. Depression combined with anxiety (which anxiety just refuses to go away! ?) made me scared to get out of the apartment. I’d over think and I’d stay in.
I now feel a lot better mentally and have a s**t ton more clarity. Now, I WILL be getting out of the house next spring/summer, lol.
Edit: part of the reason why I was staying a recluse was due to me being narcissistically abused. So, I was dealing with the repercussions after I disowned my entire family.
#36
Mould. That s**t will f**k you up if you’re constantly around it.
#37
Forcing autistic people to suppress stimming.
#38
Covid. It increases your risk of stroke and heart attacks. It exhausts your t-cells, which fight cancer. I suspect cancer rates will start increasing in 5-10 years.
#39
Cutting random stuff out of your diet when it’s trendy. People unbalance their diet by just following some Instagram grift.
#40
Wearing shoes that are the wrong size or fit for your feet.
#41
Painting without a respirator on.
We get memoriam emails anytime somebody in our union dies. EVERY PAINTER DIES IN THEIR FORTIES OR FIFTIES! And yet, none of them are wearing respirators. wtf.
#42
Narcissistic abuse. It can literally cause brain damage.
#43
Negativity
#44
Worrying about things you aren’t capable of changing.
#45
Sugar
#46
Sodium! The average American eats 3,000-4,000mg a day, when the USDA only recommends a max of 1,500mg a day (with a real goal of 1,200mg a day.) Even reducing your daily intake by 1,000mg (meaning just going from 4k to 3k) can lower your blood pressure *3 to 4 mmhg!*
It’s incredibly hard to limit sodium if you eat processed/convenience food. Even “healthy” foods have SO MUCH sodium. ~~It’s a massive contributor~~ it increases your blood pressure and contributes to heart disease, stroke, etc.**
(Also, lots of people say “but your body needs sodium!”– only 500mg. 1 teaspoon of salt is 2,300mg.)
EDIT: not a doctor, wording made it seem like I was implying I’m an authority. [here’s the CDC saying it’s bad!](https://www.cdc.gov/salt/index.htm#:~:text=Eating%20too%20much%20sodium%20can,year%20than%20any%20other%20cause.)
#47
being too connected to suffering happening to other people far away from you. you’re not built to take on the collective misery of the world via news and social media. invest in your immediate community’s well-being and leave the infinite pain of all existence to the select few who honorably make it their whole mission.
#48
social media
#49
Staying with the wrong person for too long. The mental stress it causes you isn’t worth trying to save something that’s broken.