by Naina S.

We all have bad habits, from small things like biting our nails, to things like watching too much T.V., getting too little sleep, drinking too little water, or spending too much time on our phones. These habits are very unhealthy for you, and can actually lead to serious consequences.

After a long day at school, you come home, grab a bag of chips from the kitchen, and sit down on the couch, watching the next, or next few episodes of our favorite show for hours on end. “I’ll only eat five chips” you promise yourself, but by watching T.V. while eating, you lose control of how many chips you’re eating, and end up finishing the whole bag of chips. This habit can lead to you becoming overweight and could lead to obesity. On the other hand, you could be distracted by the T.V., which could lead to you eating too little, and not getting enough necessary nutrients.

In a 2006 study, nearly 16% of kids in the United States were overweight, and the number continues to grow. To fix this habit, you can serve a certain amount of chips in a plate or bowl, to limit you to eating the amount you served yourself, and control how much you eat. When we are constantly watching too much T.V, or spending too much time on our phones we end up doing less physical activity. This also increases your odds of becoming overweight and developing type two diabetes, as well as speeding up your memory loss.

Biting your nails may seem like a harmless habit, but it can actually make the skin around your nails feel sore, and damage the tissue, making your nails look abnormal. Biting your nails can also make you vulnerable to infection that transfers from your fingers to your mouth. There are many solutions to this habit, including painting your nails, playing with a stress ball or silly putty, or covering your fingers with tape or gloves. Covering your nails with nail polish will prevent you from biting your nails, due to the bitter taste, and if you don’t want colorful nails, you can use a clear coat instead.

When you don’t drink water, you can get dehydrated, which can cause many side effects such as unclear thinking, mood change, constipation, and can cause your body to overheat. Water helps your body protect sensitive tissues, keeps your temperature normal, and gets rid of waste. To make sure you drink enough water while you’re at school, you can bring a water bottle to school everyday, and make sure to drink water in between periods. If you’re not at school, you can set a reminder on your phone telling you to drink water.

Although we know that some of us get a significantly smaller amount of sleep, the recommended amount of sleep for teenagers per night is about eight hours. Having enough sleep is crucial, because it makes your day more efficient and helps you function better. Without sleep, it may be hard to focus and learn new material in school.

Instead of staying up late, try to go to sleep earlier, and get your homework done after school. Using your phone before bed also leads to less sleep. The blue light that phones, tablets, laptops, and other electronics emit suppresses melatonin, the hormone that controls your sleep, making it harder to stay asleep. Making sure to fix the bad habits you have can prevent consequences, and can help you and your body.

Sources: News.psu, Aad.org, Rd.com, Cdc.gov, Sleepfoundation.org, and sleep.org