Small gestures that make all the difference: your body will immediately benefit from your victory over the worst habits for your health.
Do these bad habits affect your health?
Everyone recognizes the importance of balanced meals and train regularly. Yet every day, we take our bad habits that could become a real threat to our well-being. Changing some of them could be extremely beneficial to our organism. We have identified the worst habits for your health that it would be better to get rid of.
1. Lack of sleep, one of the worst habits for your health
Lack of sleep or erratic sleep may lead to the development of cognitive impairment in aging, including Alzheimer’s disease. That at least is what says Dr. Andrew Lim, an assistant professor in the Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine of the University of Toronto. This neurologist specializing in sleep disorders. It also draws a link between lack of sleep (less than 6 to 8 hours a night) and the appearance of aging skin marks, This study commissioned in 2013 was conducted by researchers at Case Medical Center University Hospitals in Cleveland (Ohio).
2. Sleeping too much, a bad habit harmful to your well-being
A study published in 2011 in the journal Sleep was interested in the cognitive function of participants aged 45 to 69 years. She revealed that to sleep more than 7:00 to 8:00 was associated with lower cognitive function measured by tests. According to the study, the extent of these consequences could compare to an aging five to eight years of life. Dr. Lim points out that people who sleep for a long time at a high risk of negative repercussions. Among these include an increased risk of mortality from all, and causes cognitive impairment. Too much sleep usually means over nine or ten hours.
3. Not applying sunscreen, one of the worst habits for your skin and your body
“The sun is not a major factor in the aging of the skin, it is the main culprit,” says Dr. David McLean, a professor in the department of dermatology at the University of British Columbia. Even low exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays can trigger the activation of collagenase. Collagenase is an enzyme that breaks peptide bonds collagen and elastase, resulting in the degradation of elastin fibers. Now, these are the collagen and elastin that keep our skin its firmness and youth. If damaged, skin elasticity disappears, and it collapses, says Dr. McLean. Sun bitten should also be covered with sunscreen to prevent age spots, these gray or brown marks on the skin that have been extensively exposed to UV.
4. The harmful effects of sugar on your health
While a piece of cake once from time to time, is not dangerous, the daily addiction to sweets will make you lose your youthful complexion. The cause is a natural reaction called glycation, which combines blood sugar to proteins to produce harmful molecules known as advanced glycation end product name or AGE. AGEs damage cells making them more rigid and more prone to premature aging. Consuming too much sugar leads to higher rates of AGEs than normal. As the collagen and elastin proteins are particularly vulnerable to glycation, a very high-sugar diet could really damage your skin.
5. Not wearing sunglasses
Not only the sun damages our skin, but it affects us, “Sunlight contributes to the formation of cataracts associated with aging,” says Dr. Emily Chew, chief ophthalmologist and clinical assistant at the National Eye Institute / NIH Bethesda (Maryland). “Wearing sunglasses is important to prevent cataracts. “Studies show that overexposure to UV rays can increase the risk of eye diseases. According to the Canadian Dermatology Association (CDA), the sun can damage your eyes as much as any other exposed part of your body. CDA recommends wearing UV sunglasses that block 400 totally UVA and UVB rays.
