7 Habits That Seem Harmless, But Are Actually Unhealthy

An interesting survey was conducted among Reddit website users, who were asked to name seemingly harmless things that are actually unhealthy, and the results turned out to be quite realistic.

Below you will find just some of their suggestions regarding your everyday actions that only seem harmless... plus some scientific facts for your information.

1. Sitting
One of the Redittors mentioned that sitting for hours in the office five days a week, which is a usual thing for a modern human, is destructive. Actually, it is: sitting more than three hours a day could take 2 whole years off your life. And unfortunately no physical exercise will help you to change the thing.
2. Using Computers
According to one of the Redditors, spending too much time in front of the screen leads to sleeping problems. Scientists suggest that the amount of time kids spend with electronic gadgets and gizmos has a direct influence on their well-being and mental health.
3. Listening To Music
Listening to music with you headphones set on volume up may have negative effects if not now, then in 20-30, a user suggested.
And he is right. According to the National Institutes of Health, repeated exposure to loud noise and music can cause hearing loss. Thus it is not a suggestion any more, it is an established fact! While we usually listen at about 110 decibels, but 80 or below is probably safer, Real Simple reported. (For a reference, talking is typically 40 to 60 decibels, while a concert can get up to 140).
4. Drinking Diet Soda
You try to avoid sugar and calories, but it turns out that artificial sweeteners may trick the brain into eating more. The scientific explanation is as follows: when we consume something the brain to expect calories, but when none come, it might send out some hunger signals to compensate.
5. Eating Processed Foods
A Redditor obsessed with ramen noodles wrote: "Everyone thinks, 'Oh, it's just water and seasoning and noodles,' but... there's MSG and more than a day's worth of sodium." Actually, you need to be aware of the ingredients containted in processed and packaged foods.
One container of Nissin's beef-flavored Cup Noodles contains 1,110 milligrams of sodium, only about half as much as is recommended per day, plus 13 grams of fat (7 of which are saturated), about 20 percent of your daily limit.
So you'd better take it easy on the processed food and always read the labels.
6. Drinking Juice
As strange as it may seem, but drikning juice is not a great good for your health, because commercially-prepared juices are often high in added sugars. Thus, it's almost always better to eat your fruit than drink it.
According to the health experts, when fruit is being processed into juice, it loses its naturally-occurring (and filling!) fiber.
7. Skipping Sleep
User coffeebeancatfish elaborates, saying sleep deprivation is linked to changes in cognition, depression rates and immune function. Unfortunately, this is just the beginning of the list. You could also add stroke, diabetes and obesity risk. Moreover, short sleepers seem to die younger of any cause than people who get 6.5 to 7.5 hours a night.
READ MORE:  http://news.naij.com/62974.html