These days, it seems like everything is bad for you. There’s proof that everything you do right from the moment you wake up ’til you fall asleep at night is killing you just a little bit. With these kinds of habits in the way, it’s difficult to spot those habits that are more life-threatening. Since all these little habits are risky one way or the other, how are we supposed to spot the ones that are truly detrimental? For example, it’s been proven that bathing too much is bad for you.

Apparently, constant scrubbing of the skin can cause it to erode, leaving the skin susceptible to diseases and infections. Even brushing your teeth too hard after you eat is bad for you. So it’s practically impossible to go through life without adopting one or two “bad habits.” On the bright side, most of these habits are just barely life-threatening and most of them don’t even pose a threat at all. Like boredom, for example, is capable of actually killing you.

Scientists believe that while boring jobs are easier than more tasking jobs, they can also be more deadly. Boring jobs can be deadly because they don’t require your heart rate going up (which, if experienced enough, can also kill you), therefore people with sedentary jobs tend not to be accustomed to jolts and are less likely to survive heart attacks. That sounds super serious… but if you break it down, you’ll find that heart attacks are caused by poor lifestyle choices, unhealthy eating habits, and inactivity. The probability of that scenario occurring is probably one in a million. So it’s seriously not an issue for those pursuing healthy lifestyles, eating habits, and are active for at least an hour each day. On the other hand, there are some habits that are more destructive than others. They may appear innocent or fun but are actually doing a number on your lifespan.

Biting your nails

This habit is probably one of the most dangerous habits out there, and yet many people don’t know this. Biting your nails when you get nervous, or just for fun, can be dangerous. Not only it is a disgusting habit, but it can also get you seriously ill.

Nails are the breeding ground for germs and bacteria, and millions of them get stuck under your nails throughout the course of the day. That’s why it’s important to always wash your hands whenever you get the chance.

There is a lot of dangerous bacteria out there that can get you sick or worse. One of those bacteria is E-Coli. What is E-Coli? That’s a good question. Although it sounds like a manufactured bacterium, it’s actually the most harmless bacterium that can be found in the stomach of healthy people. However, a more deadly strain exists that can be passed around easily. It can be passed around from water-to-skin contact to meat. The E-Coli 0157:H7 is a harmful strain of the bacterium that can cause bloody diarrhea, vomiting, and severe cramps to those who get infected. In older people, it’s been known to cause terminal kidney diseases and Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome. That sounds pretty bad, doesn’t it? Doctors say the majority of E-Coli infections come from dirty hands – mainly fingernails.

Messing with your internal clock

If you like staying up all night binge-watching the latest shows on Netflix, you are probably messing up your internal clock. It’s called the “Circadian Clock” and it tells your body when to sleep and when to be awake. In plain terms, it controls your sleep cycle.

When you stay up too late, you can really mess up your internal clock. Aside from the activities of the day that won’t let you get those precious eight hours of sleep, our bodies aren’t built to sleep during the day and be awake at night. Our internal clock tells our body when it needs to be awake, asleep, and messing with it is asking for trouble. It can cause issues like drowsiness, tiredness, poor judgment, inefficiency, etc. These issues can be solved by a little jolt of coffee but aside from that, we have more serious consequences that cannot be solved by just getting back in sync or grabbing a cup of coffee. Blue light can also do a serious number on your health. Blue light is a particular type of light that typically comes from the sun, artificial light sources, and it prevents the production of melatonin which tells your body to sleep. If you’re trying to catch up on some sleep during the day you’ll probably not get enough, and lack of sleep has been known to cause insomnia and more life-threatening conditions like high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, and diabetes. Not sleeping enough can actually kill people, so make sure you knock back at least eight hours of sleep per day.

Mixing pills and booze

It’s a generally good rule of thumb that you shouldn’t mix alcohol and pills, but many people don’t know the full story when it comes to pain killers, alcohol, and the repercussions of mixing them. When alcohol and pain killers are consumed in large quantities (or just consumed together) it can result in a synergetic effect that you don’t want going down in your body. Both alcohol and pills have the same effect on the brain. Mixing the two is just begging for trouble as it leads to this synergetic, exponential effect that can lead to an accidental overdose or some other life-threatening condition like brain, liver, or gastrointestinal damage. So, next time you’re thinking of mixing the two together, just think that it may lead to some serious damage or death. Other effects are over-sedation and the individual effects of drinking alcohol and the recreational use of painkillers. Some of the consequences of the excess intake of alcohol include over-sedation, liver damage, and in some cases heart diseases, impaired judgment, etc. In the case of pain killers, there are risks of overdose, organ damage, and dizziness. The point is that these two things shouldn’t be mixed together as they are dangerous on their own, and should not be mixed whether deliberately or by accident. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a little whisky to wash down the occasional aspirin, or you’re at a party, and “everybody is doing it” but you shouldn’t ever mix the two.

Most things out there are probably harmful in one way or another, but these habits are especially bad because they have such a huge health impact on an individual’s lifespan and quality of life. They should be avoided if at all possible. Of course, there are other life-shortening habits but like overeating or bad hygiene, these take the lead because they are generally considered normal and yet they have major consequences. Don’t mix booze and pills, and don’t stay up all night. Remember to always wash your hands, and don’t bite your nails.