There was a time when a simple cold could be deadly. A papercut could get easily infected and mean the amputation of a limb. And even giving birth, which people like to think of as the most beautiful moment in the life of a woman, could be synonymous with death. In short, our medical knowledge and our hygiene routines have thankfully evolved to the point where everyday activities don’t need to be considered as serious health hazards any longer. But science is not the only thing that has changed. The way the society moves, works and interacts has changed dramatically too. As a result, new health hazards have unfortunately appeared in everybody’s life. At the moment, these risks are still new, and the impact on your health is too easily ignored. In truth, everybody is familiar with the idea that everything will be fine and that the pain – wherever it is and whichever type of pain it can be – will go away on its own. But when your lifestyle is creating the issues you are struggling with, when the modern facilities and behaviors of the society you live in are responsible for your health troubles, it is difficult to get better. Are you even aware of the pressure that life puts on you? It is a fair bet that you probably don’t know what could be causing an issue in your life: You are, after all, following the overall social movement. It’s odd to put it in those words but life, and especially modern life can be just as hazardous as life used to be centuries ago. Admittedly the risks have changed, so it’s important to be aware of the little things that could impact on your physical and emotional well-being. You will find the top four health hazards of modern life that you’ve never considered before.
Lack Of Sleep
Millions of people suffer from sleep disruptions, whether it is the occasional bad night of sleep – this is called acute insomnia and can last for a few nights over a period of a few weeks to months – or the permanent sleeping issues – this is what people call insomnia or chronic insomnia, and can last several months or years. Unfortunately, most individuals tend to ignore the problem and revert to sleeping pills, or a glass of wine before going to bed. It is, however, interesting to note that insomnia, while it can be caused by a variety of factors, is often associated with environmental and lifestyle behaviors. For example, very few people know how to choose the right pillow for a restful sleep. This is one of the most common sleep issues: A pillow or a mattress that is not well adapted to your body type can not only disturb your sleep, but it can also cause chronic back and neck pain. Additional environmental factors that can impact on the quality of your sleep are the temperature, the light and the noise in and around your bedroom. Your lifestyle is the other guilty party when it comes to stealing your sleep away: Too much coffee during the day, heavy meals in the evening, too much screen time shortly before going to bed, etc. But what most bad sleepers don’t see are the negative results of sleep loss. Indeed, lack of sleep can present a terrain for psychological disorders, such as depression and anxiety for instance. You can also develop physical illnesses that are associated with recurring lack of sleep, from chronic back pain to neck stiffness. More importantly, sleep loss has a direct impact on your mood: You become irascible and short-tempered. You find it more difficult to concentrate, your thinking is clouded, and your reactions become slower. Accidents, bad decisions, and human errors happen more often when people don’t have a good night of sleep.
Stress In The Workplace
Another big problem of modern life is the presence of stress in everyday routine. Despite its modern facilities, modern life has become more stressful. Health specialists have agreed that one of the most stressful environments for people is the workplace. The problem is so widely documented that you the University of Cambridge in the UK has dedicated a page to address the most common causes of stress in the workplace. Stress-related diseases are indeed associated with a loss for health insurances and companies. Therefore it is necessary to observe this current social phenomenon. Whether it is in higher education environments or at the office, stress can be caused by a variety of factors. Long working hours is the most obvious reason for stress. Indeed, most people work well over 50 hours a week, which impacts not only on their productivity but on their ability to concentrate and solve problems. The security of your job is a key factor too: If the management team is keen to assess fairly or not the performance of the staff and to dismiss the least performant individuals, it is likely that the entire team will live in a climate of terror. Difficult work relationships with the team, the management or even the clients can drain your energy and make it more difficult to enjoy your time at work. Finally, the lack of communication can also create a stressful ambiance at the office. But there’s more than discomfort when you work in a stressful environment. There are a lot of health consequences that you can’t ignore, even if most people are trying to. Stress can impact directly on your mental health: Anxiety disorders, depression, and burnout syndrome are deeply connected to your stress level. Additionally, it is frequent for people who work in a highly stressful environment to suffer from heart diseases and develop allergies to environmental factors.
A Quick And Easy Processed Meal
Food has never been that easy. All you need to do if you’re hungry is to grab a rapid meal at your favorite fast food restaurant or to pop a Chinese meal still in its packaging in the microwave oven. Or maybe you’re one for a frozen pizza? In a matter of minutes, your dinner is ready to enjoy. Not tasty enough? Just add a little drop of your preferred sauce on it while you open a can of soda. If this sounds familiar, you probably know of processed foods. You may even be aware of the potential risks for your health that it might represent. Too much sugar, you think. Never mind, you’ll be more careful tomorrow. You don’t have time tonight for a handmade dinner. Unfortunately, more and more people prefer to ignore the risk. In truth, processed food tends to be high in sugar which can lead to insulin disruption and long-term diabetes, as well as fat accumulation in the liver. The main problem is that the added sugar, salt, and fat in processed foods lead to an immediate rewarding feeling: It generates over consumption and obesity. Additionally, the presence of artificial ingredients such as flavoring, preservatives, and texturants are directly linked with the increase of food intolerance and food allergies in the 21st century. But at the same time that your body is trying to reject unhealthy foods, your brain is also becoming addicted to the chemicals it contains. As a result, it is more and more difficult for those who eats only processed foods to stick to healthy portions. The addiction to junk foods does more than changing the way your body is shaped. It changes the wiring in your brain and creates behaviors that are similar to cocaine addiction.
Updating My Status On #SocialMedia
According to a study, 22% of teenagers log on more than 10 times a day to social media platforms. With over 75% of teenagers with a smartphone, you’ve got the rest of your daily interactions all planned! Indeed, the use of social media doesn’t only impact of a lack of social interactions in real life, it also disrupts the ability to create meaningful social connections in real life. While everybody is used to see people checking their phones when they are reunited around a table at the local diner, for example, the issues of social media go beyond updating your Facebook status at the restaurant. Cyberbullying is a common risk for teenagers, as too many of them feel that the digital world opens the door to permitted abuse and harassment. Cyberbullying can lead to emotional distress, and there are more and more cases of young people who respond with suicide to aggressive digital bullying. Additionally, real social skills are diminished by the use of social media. People become less able to recognize unspoken social cues in personal interactions and to respond to them accordingly. The extensive use of emoticons in social media language has reduced the ability to understand joy, anger, fear and sadness without the indication of a sad face or a rainbow unicorn. As a result, the current youth generation is losing the ability to read non-verbal cues in everyday human interactions. These necessary social skills are at risk of becoming extinct and creating frictions in real life conversations.
