As we go through life, many of us develop bad health habits. It’s not that we’re looking to be unhealthy. But the society around us continually presents us with opportunities to do the wrong thing. If we were living in a state of nature, it wouldn’t be possible to binge on fast food or smoke a pack of twenty cigarettes in an afternoon.
In this post, we take a look at some of the most common bad health habits and what you can do to correct them. So, without further ado, let’s dive right in.
Staying Up Late
We all know that the sleep you get before midnight is generally better than the sleep you get afterward. But why is this? It’s all to do with the body’s sleep-wake rhythm. It turns out that our bodies follow clocks tied to the rotation of the planet, not just when we choose to go to sleep and wake up. That’s why you often find that you’re much more refreshed if you go to bed at 10 pm and wake up at 6 am compared to sleeping at 2 pm and waking up at 10 am. In both cases, you got the same amount of sleep, but critically, in the first example, you got it at the right time.
The way to get over this issue is to set a strict bedtime and then to allow yourself to wake up naturally if you can. Going to bed at 10 pm – including on the weekends – is a great way to restore your body clock and improve your health. If you are not able to sleep because of your drinking problem, then it might be time to get some help. Consider enrolling in an alcohol rehab program in order to get your sleeping patterns back to normal.
People who suffer from insomnia may be at an increased risk for substance use, simply because they may self-medicate their sleep problems using alcohol or other drugs that they perceive as relaxing. That in and of itself starts another vicious cycle where you are then using stimulant drugs to compensate for daytime fatigue caused by lost sleep.
If that happens, we suggest a Rehab in Colorado center or locate one where you currently reside.
Snacking When You Aren’t Hungry
The second bad habit many people have is snacking even when they aren’t hungry. Many people eat out of sheer boredom or just because that’s what they’re used to doing in the evening.
Unfortunately, there are some severe consequences to this sort of behavior. Snacking often displaces regular meals. You’re so full of snacks that you don’t eat as many of the things that you should be eating.
Snack foods are also often junk foods. Yes, you can eat celery sticks with homemade hummus, but relatively few people snack in that way. For most, it’s Doritos and beef jerky. Being more mindful and even seeking addiction treatment can help you cut down on snacking. You can also put limits on when you eat, such as forbidding any food after 7 pm.
Spending Too Much Money
Spending money can be a lot of fun. In fact, it’s one of the things that makes living life so worthwhile. Without money, you couldn’t travel to new places and enjoy new experiences.
However, spending more money than you can afford can adversely affect your mental health. People who are in debt are much more likely to experience anxiety and depression compared to their counterparts who have savings.
To break this habit, remind yourself of the long-term consequences of your spending. Yes, it feels good when you do it, but you always have to pay the piper later.
