Six Reasons to Wash Your Hands Properly is discussed below. E
Six Reasons to Wash Your Hands Properly
Ever since the pandemic first arrived, washing hands frequently, using sanitizer or a hand dryer has become an essential part of our lives. Besides being the basic part of our personal hygiene, washing hands properly has multiple health benefits. As simple as it may seem, if you are washing your hands thoroughly throughout the day, you are doing yourself a favour and are preventing hazardous bacteria and germs from entering your body. Here are six major considerations that will motivate you to routinely wash your hands properly:
1. Preventing the Spread of Seasonal Diseases and Coronavirus: Wash Your Hands Properly
Before we were aware of the coronavirus, washing hands and wearing masks were the only two ways to slow down the spread of the deadly viral infection. Washing hands doesn’t only keep us safe from the virus but also protects us from seasonal diseases like cold, fever, or influenza.
2. Keeping Your Friends and Family Safe: Wash Your Hands Properly
When you have a seasonal infection, you make your family and friends prone to falling prey to them if you do not maintain good hygiene. It is our responsibility to keep ourselves clean and healthy to protect those around us and make sure we are not inflicting any harm upon them. If you are dining out with them or even sharing food at home, germs can spread if you haven’t washed your hands properly. If you want to keep your surroundings clean and your loved ones healthy, wash your hands regularly.
3. Preventing Gastrointestinal Infections:
Have you ever wondered why doctors and health experts suggest you wash your hands right before having your meal and after using the washroom? Coming into contact with fecal matter increases the danger of getting diarrhoea and other disturbing gastrointestinal infections. Having digestive problems is really detrimental to our health. This is why we should make it a habit to wash our hands every time we use the washroom, and every time we are about to eat.
4. Preventing Eye Infections:
Rubbing our eyes is something we do without thinking. We touch our faces or our eyes without realising the damage that could be done to them through these simple actions. Common eye infections that you can get from dirty hands include Conjunctivitis (pink eye), Keratitis, Stye, and Blepharitis. Although these infections are not difficult to treat, it is even easier to avoid them in the first place by maintaining good hygiene.
5. Preventing Respiratory Infections:
Like our digestive system and our eyes, respiratory tracts can also be infected through unwashed hands. Germs that cause coughing, sneezing, runny nose, nasal discharge, and nasal congestion are mainly spread and caught through dirty hands. They might look simple to us, but they take a toll on our physical health and pause our daily lives. Make sure to reduce the chances of getting a respiratory infection by keeping your hands clean.
6. Rub off the Germs and Bacteria: Wash Your Hands Properly
Even if you have strong immunity and manage to escape the effects of exposure to germs and bacteria, it does not make you immune to them for the rest of your life. Bacteria can stay on hands and the objects you have touched for days, making others vulnerable. Ensure you properly wash your hands every day and save yourself and your loved ones from harmful diseases.
When to wash your hands thoroughly?
Here is when you should wash your hands to ensure you remain healthy:
- Before and after eating
- Before and after preparing food.
- After using the washroom.
- When caring for someone who is sick, particularly from an infectious disease.
- After taking out the rubbish.
- After petting your dog or cat and feeding them.
Stay Healthy
If appropriately maintained and taken care of regularly, hand hygiene saves you from getting infected and falling sick. We know for a fact that prevention is better than cure, and this is why washing your hands properly should be part of your routine.
Related Blog: https://internationalpain.org/staying-safe-and-healthy-during-cold-and-flu-season/
Article by: John Wilson
Published by: International Pain Foundation, iPain Blog
