How Personal Hygiene Affects Wellbeing

Personal hygiene is the practice to keep yourself, your living, and working conditions spotless in order to prevent disease and maintain good health. The biggest plus is that daily habit of ensuring cleanliness and hygienic lifestyle will actually save you from future health care costs. It also affects your wellbeing, your relationships with others, your self-confidence, self-esteem and productivity.  Since you interact with other people on a daily basis, having bad breath, body odor, dirty finger nails, stained teeth, smelly feet or being unkempt is a big turn off. 

Oral care

Ignoring to take proper care of your mouth will lead to gum disease like gingivitis and periodontitis, dental problems, and bad breath. Bad breath is humiliating and offensive. Some causes of bad breath include food trapped in cavities after eating, the type of food you eat such as garlic and onions; tobacco and beer; plaque deposits and gum disease. You can detect if you have bad breath by breathing into a handkerchief, or ask someone who will tell you the truth, or run a dental floss between your teeth.

So now you know you must maintain fresh breath all day, it’s crucial to brush your teeth at least twice daily especially after eating and before going to sleep. The fact is no matter how much you brush, you’ll not dislodge all the food particles, therefore flossing is a good way to remove food that gets stuck in between your teeth and decay.  Gargle or rinse with water whenever it’s inconvenient to brush after your meals, or use mouthwash. Cleaning or scraping your tongue is another hygienic thing to do because bacteria equally settle on the tongue which may contribute to the bad smell when you breathe or open your mouth.  For people with dry mouth issue, chewing sugarless gum or sucking sugarless mint stimulates saliva production providing relief. Other odour triggers you may want to avoid are tobacco, beer, and strong smelly foods like garlic and onions. Most important must do is regular visits to your dentist for checks.

Body Care

Body odour is frequently triggered by sweat formed under the armpits and the groins. Bacteria then feed on the sweat causing it to stench. Body odour makes you feel self-conscious and apprehensive in the company of others. Your social life and relationships will suffer if you don’t take action to get rid of it.

Since body odour is fuelled by lack of proper body hygiene, cleaning your underarm and groin area with water and bacterial soap should help in keeping the affected areas clean and fresh. You may want to also apply deodorant or antiperspirant as needed. Other hygienic activities to add to your daily practice would be to wash your clothes even after using it once, wash, shower or bathe regularly, and avoid strong smelling foods that reek in your sweat, like garlic, onions, tobacco and beer.

Hand care

Your fingers and your hands are probably the most used parts in most of your activities. For instance washing your hands, particularly after visiting the toilet, is a crucial personal hygiene habit to keep. By washing them thoroughly and drying afterwards help eliminate bacteria. The same habit of hand washing must be extended to when you've touched your pets, preparing food, and several daily and routine activities. It’s equally important to trim your finger and toe nails to prevent germs from settling under them. 

Foot Care

Foot odor is caused when the sweat doesn’t dry and bacteria feed on it. To prevent foot odour, wash the soles of your feet and in between your toes with water and antibacterial soap regularly.  You can also soak your feet in salt solution, use antiperspirant or foot deodorant. Clean and comfortable socks are essential, ensuring you change them daily.  Shoes that are not kept properly also trigger bad smell.  It’s not only important to choose the right shoes, but you must also get into the habit of washing and airing them. Be cautious in public showers not to walk barefoot and get into the habit of wearing open toed sandals or thongs to avoid picking up bacteria.

Hair care

Wash your hair regularly. You need to wash them after spending long hours outdoors. This is because your hair collects dust and pollens. Shampooing helps get rid of dandruff that is caused by dead skin cells.  For women who braid their hair, you can use dry spray shampoo if your scalp feels itchy and uncomfortable.  If you swim, you must wash away the chlorine after swimming, and take a shower after any exercise that makes you sweat. 

General daily personal hygiene practices

Regular showers or bathing is one of the most basic personal hygiene practices to keep you clean and fresh. You’ll be able to remove dust and mites from your carpets when you vacuum, and keep your home clean by washing and changing your bed linens and curtains. This will prevent you from getting allergies. Also if you smoke, choose to do it outside to allow clean air in your home, though the best solution is to stop smoking. 

Make it a habit to go outdoors and get fresh air. It will relax your mind from daily stress. Ensuring you don’t eat contaminated food is also key so be wise in your choice of food.  Take care of your skin by cleaning and applying moisturiser to your whole body to prevent dryness and scales. Remember to cover any cuts on your skin after cleaning them. For the ladies, it’s a must to change your tampons or sanitary pads regularly during your monthly period cycle. Lastly and in general strive to practice safe, healthy and clean lifestyle. It’s impact on wellbeing cannot be underestimated.

Photo Credit: Creative Commons.