12 Healthy Habits That Can Come Back to Bite You If You Overdo Them

You may feel surrounded by a lot of information claiming to “guide” you on how to become “healthier” or “happier,” promising to add “more” to your life. We suggest not believing everything that you hear or read. Some myths are just this: myths. Display reasonable doubt when something seems too crazy to be true or, even better, do your own research and see what’s suitable for your own body and mind.

Bright Side surfed the internet and put together a list of routines that are considered great for our health. However, if you take them too far, these habits may have the opposite effect.

1. Drink 8 glasses of water every day.

If you’re thirsty, it’s recommended to grab a bottle of water and chug it — especially if you live somewhere hot or have just exercised. But don’t forget that other drinks contain water as well, like tea or soda, so your intake of water overall is higher.

Drinking too much water is actually a thing, and it can be dangerous to you because your kidneys can’t get rid of the excess water. We all have different bodies, so you might need more or less than 8 glasses per day. And there is no scientific proof that extra water has any health benefits.

2. Eat lots of carrots because they can help you see in the dark.

This isn’t actually true. Although carrots are a very healthy vegetable to incorporate into your diet, they won’t give you night vision. They are, indeed, rich in vitamin A, which helps with eyesight, but they won’t help you in the dark. This is a myth that comes from the 1940s.

Now don’t go filling up your shopping cart with these orange vegetables. Although carrots are healthy, eating too much of them might cause a condition called carotenemia, which causes skin discoloration because of the beta-carotene in them. Several other fruits and vegetables have this pigment in them as well.

3. Sleeping more on the weekends can help you catch up on lost sleep.

Sleep is essential for good physical and mental health, but you won’t catch up on all those sleepless nights simply by getting few more hours on a Saturday. Also, if you sleep too much, you might experience some unpleasant mental issues.

4. You brush your teeth after every meal.

Brushing twice a day is a recommended practice, but if you feel the urge to brush your teeth after every time you eat, think again. You might be damaging your teeth rather than taking care of them. If you’ve eaten or drank something acidic, don’t brush your teeth too soon, otherwise, you may remove tooth enamel. Wait at least 30 minutes to one hour before brushing.

5. You replace sugar with substitutes.

Not going overboard with your sugar intake is a wise thing to do, but cutting it out completely and replacing it with all kinds of sweeteners might not be the wisest decision either. Some of these options are totally artificial and might have long-term side effects.

6. You take nutritional supplements.

Just because you hear people are taking them doesn’t automatically mean you should too. If you’re vegan and have a deficiency in vitamin B12, then this is understandable. But high doses of vitamin supplements don’t prevent certain health issues, and they can even be harmful, according to a study. Try to opt for a varied diet of protein, carbohydrates, and fats.

7. You replace your meal with a smoothie.

Smoothies are great, but they mostly contain fruit, water, and milk. They don’t provide you with the necessary nutrients that your body needs. Besides, a lot of smoothies contain a large amount of fruit, and eating it all at once might increase your blood sugar, leading to an insulin spike. This can translate to seeing more pounds on your scale.

8. You eat low carbs.

The keto diet has become popular all over the world because people actually lose weight with it. When you don’t eat carbs, your body transforms the remaining fat into the energy it needs for you to function. In the long term, not eating carbohydrates won’t do you any good. You can try to remove processed carbs, like white flour or white sugar, but whole grains contain a lot of fiber.

9. You use sunscreen.

Sunscreen can protect you from certain skin diseases, but that doesn’t mean that the sun is your number one enemy. Using too much sunscreen may leave you with a vitamin D deficiency. And people with darker skin tones don’t necessarily need sunscreen. Experts recommend 10 to 15 minutes daily of sun exposure to take in the necessary vitamin D that helps stave off depression and osteomalacia.

10. You exercise every day.

Nobody can deny the benefits of playing sports, but working out every single day doesn’t leave your body any time to rest. And rest is important for your muscle recovery and your body’s relaxation overall. Working out too much might put your body under a lot of stress and the level of cortisol might increase significantly.

11. You insert the cotton swab into your ear.

Earwax is not necessarily a bad thing. It prevents dust or dirt from entering your ear, but if you’re a fan of cotton swabs, try to use them on the outer part of the ear only. Don’t insert them too far into the ear canal, as this can be quite dangerous and might cause deafness, nausea, or loss of taste.

12. You only buy products labeled as “healthy.”

Not everything that is labeled “healthy” is actually, well, healthy. It might just be a marketing ploy, so be mindful and read the ingredients on the backs of labels. Those are the strongest indications that a product is worth buying or not.