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
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 source: tsh87, Nicola Barts
#2
Missing sleep
Image source: nobody333254, Ivan Oboleninov
#3
For the love of God drink some plain water and eat some vegetables…signed your x-ray tech & physicians lol.
Image source: JoyfullyMortified43, Lisa Fotios
#4
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 source: Routine_Western1191, Olavi Anttila
#5
Comparing yourself to people. It’s terrible for your mental health.
Image source: Dances28, Solen Feyissa
#6
Not brushing and flossing as often as you should. It’s not an aesthetic reason. Bad dental hygiene can kill.
Image source: penndelnj, Tima Miroshnichenko
#7
loneliness
Image source: wye_naught, Leah Kelley
#8
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 source: Atiankup
#9
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 source: ZaagKicks, cottonbro studio
#10
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 source: Humble_Plane1924, Mikhail Nilov
#11
Stress and anxiety
Image source: ray458, Andrea Piacquadio
#12
Toxic relationship
Image source: Michael_Scott_1290, RDNE Stock project
#13
S****y people, especially if they are family.
Image source: bold-n-tired, Ketut Subiyanto
#14
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 source: Ready-Yeti, Liza Summer
#15
Soda, the sugar in those is literally insane
Image source: MisterWapak, Martin Péchy
#16
Lack of sleep and proper hydration.
Image source: Full_Caterpillar_950, Adrienn
#17
social media
Image source: maff0000
#18
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 source: ThisIsTheCaptain, Emil Kalibradov
#19
Trauma. It’s stored in our body and can cause detrimental damage physically and mentally. Feel free to look up studies.
Image source: momonkey25, RDNE Stock project
#20
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.
Image source: KlutzyAd9112
#21
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 source: AngryPlasmaCell, Tim Samuel
#22
Narcissistic abuse. It can literally cause brain damage.
Image source: Fine-Loquat
#23
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 source: 716green, Sarah Dietz
#24
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 source: goodiecornbread, Ketut Subiyanto
#25
Gatorade is really bad for your teeth.
Image source: sleepypanda59, Mike Mozart
#26
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 source: DeathSpiral321, Jonathan Borba
#27
Cutting random stuff out of your diet when it’s trendy. People unbalance their diet by just following some Instagram grift.
Image source: anon
#28
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.
Image source: SingularWill
#29
Not stretching your body everyday, hell at least a few times a week.
Image source: spicegrl17, Ketut Subiyanto
#30
Just keep active as possible. Even if it’s a walk a day around your street.
Image source: Upper-Dragonfly4167
