Posted on 

February 26, 2020

by  Michelle Stepp

Practicing good hygiene has a wealth of benefits, including reducing your chances for illnesses,
diseases, and infections. Plus, there is absolutely no risk for practicing good hygiene! The
importance of hygiene can be a difficult topic to discuss, but it doesn’t have to be. Caring about
your wellbeing should be one of the most important practices for a long, happy, and healthy life.
We care about your wellbeing, so we are going to discuss some of the things you can do to
maintain good body hygiene and cleanliness.

How Good Hygiene Affects You

Practicing good hygiene is beneficial to your overall  physical and mental health and more than
just being clean. Keeping your entire body clean from head to toe not only helps prevent illnesses
and infections from harmful bacteria, but it can give your self-esteem a boost. We tend to feel
better when we take care of ourselves. There are many personal hygiene habits to incorporate into
your everyday routine to make sure you keep yourself and the environment around you hygienic.
Types of Personal Hygiene
Hand Hygiene
Washing your hands is one of the easiest habits to practice to prevent the spread of germs to your eyes, mouth,
food, as well as to those around you. Any time you handle food, garbage, pet an animal, sneeze, or use the
restroom, you should wash your hands. Follow the 5-step rule for washing hands:

1. Wet – Get your hands wet with clean water.

2. Lather – Apply soap to your hands and work up a lather.
3. Scrub – For at least 20 seconds, scrub your hands.
4. Rinse – With clean water, rinse your hands free of the soap lather.
5. Dry – Use either a towel or air dry your hands.
If you do not have a water source, you can also choose to use an alcohol-based
hand sanitizer.

Oral Hygiene
By brushing and flossing your teeth, you are helping to prevent gum disease, cavities, and bad breath. You should
practice brushing your teeth twice a day; once in the morning and once at night. Adding an antimicrobial
mouthwash to your routine can also help reduce the number of bacteria in the mouth and prevent tooth decay. It is
suggested to replace your toothbrush every 3-4 months and visit a dentist for routine cleanings every 6 months.

Nail Hygiene
Keeping your nails clean helps prevent the spread of germs into your mouth and
other areas of the body. Trimming your nails regularly to make sure there aren’t
any sharp edges or hangnails and using a nail file to smooth them keeps
fingernails looking nice. Using a soft nail brush or washcloth can also help
remove and rinse any dirt or buildup underneath the nail. Refraining from biting
your nails and picking at the cuticles is necessary for good nail hygiene. If you
use nail polish remover, try opting for an acetone-free formula.

Body/Skin/Hair Hygiene
Taking a shower or bath is essential to wash away dead skin cells, bacteria, and oils and is essential when
practicing good body hygiene. The skin is the largest organ of the body and contains 2 layers. The thin outer layer
is made up of dead skin cells that are constantly shed and replaced by new cells. The thick inner layer is made up
of blood vessels, nerves, and hair follicles that contain glands. These glands produce an oily substance called
sebum, which helps the skin and hair from drying out. Washing your body and hair daily removes dirt, oil, and
those dead skin cells before they can accumulate. Make sure to pay attention to your armpits, groin, ears, elbows,
back, and feet. Good body hygiene can help make you look and feel your best.

Foot Hygiene
Fungal organisms love moisture, so keeping feet clean and dry will help prevent them from thriving. Our feet have
sweat glands, too! Wear socks to trapping away moisture and make sure that your shoes fit properly. Trimming
your toenails and using a nail file to smooth the edges helps to avoid ingrown toenails and allows you to check
them for any infections, sores, or discoloration of the nails. Examining your feet is an important part of personal
hygiene, especially if you have diabetes since it increases the risk of foot sores and infections.
Food Hygiene
In order to prevent food-borne illness, certain food safety practices are used
when handling, preparing, and storing food. Spoiled or rotten food can smell,
however not all harmful bacteria have a scent. Making sure to clean your
hands before handling food, cooking food to the proper temperature, and
storing food promptly are ways to practice good food hygiene. When using a
cutting board, make sure to sanitize it after every use. Wooden and plastic
cutting boards are porous and bacteria can lurk behind in grooves made by a
knife. Keeping hair up and out of the face prevents it from landing in food
and wearing an apron protects your clothing from coming in contact with the
food.

Clothing Hygiene
Dirty clothes, especially socks and underwear, can harbor microorganisms that can lead to skin infections. Not
washing your clothing can have an impact on your overall health. Body odor can arise from stains on clothing that
bacteria accumulate on. Fungi and bacteria thrive in warm, moist, and dark environments, causing bad smells and
other conditions such as athlete’s foot. Not only should you wash your clothes, but you also need to remember to
wash your bathroom and kitchen towels regularly as well. To avoid cross-contamination, try not to share towels
and clothing.

Side Effects of Poor Hygiene

Poor personal hygiene can have minor side effects, but can also lead to more serious ones. Here are just a few of
the side effects from poor personal hygiene.

 You can transfer germs and other harmful bacteria to your eyes and mouth by not washing your hands. Issues such
as pink eye and stomach viruses happen as a result of not routinely washing your hands.
 Not brushing your teeth regularly can lead to plaque buildup causing cavities, gum disease, and other teeth issues,
not to mention bad breath. Some research has also shown a link between gum disease and heart disease.
 You can get Athlete’s Foot if you often walk around barefoot, especially in public areas where infection can spread
such as swimming pools, shower areas, and locker rooms. This is a contagious fungal infection that thrives in moist
environments and can spread to the toenails and hands.
 Body odor and greasy hair are also side effects of poor personal body hygiene. Maintaining a good cleansing
routine will help keep you looking and feeling fresh, giving you a sense of pride in your appearance. Those around
you will appreciate your good body hygiene, too.
 Bacteria breeds in unclean environments such as the kitchen and dining areas, therefore leading to contamination of
food. It is imperative to wash your hands prior to preparing food to keep bacteria from entering our bodies. Make
sure to clean up and properly store leftovers, taking note of expiration dates. You could end up with diarrhea or
even food poisoning if food is not correctly handled.
 How can drugs and alcohol affect my
mental health?
People use drugs and drink alcohol for lots of different reasons. Whatever your reason, using
drugs or alcohol may have a long-term negative effect on you. The possible long-term effects
include the following.

 Needing to take more to get the same effect.

 High blood pressure and strokes.
 Problems with your liver and pancreas.
 Development of certain cancers e.g. liver cancer, bowel cancer and mouth cancer.
 Difficulty obtaining or maintaining an erection.
 Problems with orgasms.
 Difficulties becoming pregnant.
 Feeling like you must use the drug or alcohol. This is known as being dependent.
 Withdrawal symptoms including feeling sick, cold, sweaty or shaky when you don’t take
them.
 Having sudden mood changes.
 Having a negative outlook on life.
 Loss of motivation.
 Depression.
 Anxiety.
 Problems with relationships.
 Being secretive.
 Having episodes of drug-induced psychosis.

If you use alcohol or drugs for a long time it can cause serious issues for your mental well-being. Drugs can make
you more unwell and more likely to try and harm yourself or take your own life.

There is also some evidence that using some drugs may cause mental illness for the first time. For example,
research has shown that cannabis can increase your chances of developing psychosis or a psychotic disorder.

What is psychosis?

Psychosis is a medical term. If you have psychosis you will process the world around you differently to other
people. This can include how you experience, believe or view things.
You might see or hear things that others do not. Or believe things other people do not. Some people describe it as
a "break from reality". There are different terms use to describe psychosis. Such as “psychotic symptoms”,
“psychotic episode” or “psychotic experience.”

It can be a symptom of mental illness and can also be a short-term effect of some drugs.

Drugs and effects

Which substances can affect my mental health?

In this section we have listed some of the different types of substances that could have an impact on your mental
health. Please be aware that this list is not a list of all substances.

Taking any substances can be dangerous. They can also have bad interactions with any medications or other
substances you might use.

Cannabis

(Also known as: bud, bhang, dope, draw, ganja, grass, hash, herb, marijuana, pot, skunk, weed)

Cannabis is one of the most commonly used drugs in England. According to one study, 1 in 13 people aged 16-59
had used it in the last year. Young people aged 16-24 are more likely to use cannabis. The same study shows that
just under 1 in 5 young people had used cannabis between 2018 and 2019.

Some people take cannabis because it makes them feel relaxed or happy, but It can also make you feel anxious or
feel paranoid. Some people may experience things that aren't real. This is a sign of drug-induced psychosis. Some
studies have shown that the risk of psychosis may be higher if you:

 use cannabis for a long time,

 use it frequently, and
 use ‘high-strength’ cannabis, like skunk.

If you have been using cannabis and you feel that it is affecting your health, make an appointment to see your GP
as soon as you can. Your doctor should not judge you and should not tell other people you use drugs.

Alcohol

(Also known as: bevvies, booze)

Some people with a mental illness have problems using alcohol. Alcohol is legal, which means it is easier to get. It
can make the feelings of some mental health issues feel worse.

The long-term effects of alcohol also depend on how much you drink, and how regularly you drink it. If you drink
too much on a regular basis then you could cause yourself serious physical and mental harm.

Drinking can make you do something you would not normally do. This can include self-harm and suicide. Very
high levels of alcohol can cause psychosis.
 The Effects
of Smoking
on the Body
No matter how you smoke it,
tobacco is dangerous to your
health. There are no safe
substances in any tobacco
products, from acetone and tar
to nicotine and carbon
monoxide. The substances
you inhale don’t just affect your
lungs. They can affect your
entire body.

Smoking can lead to a variety

of ongoing complications in the
body, as well as long-term
effects on your body systems.
While smoking can increase
your risk of a variety of
problems over several years,
some of the bodily effects are
immediate. Learn more about
the symptoms and overall
effects of smoking on the body
below.
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Tobacco smoke is incredibly

harmful to your health. There’s
no safe way to smoke.
Replacing your cigarette with a
cigar, pipe, or hookah won’t
help you avoid the health risks.
Menstrual Hygiene
Menstrual Hygiene is vital to the empowerment and well-being of women
and girls worldwide. It is about more than just access to sanitary pads and
appropriate toilets – though those are important. It is also about ensuring
women and girls live in an environment that values and supports their
ability to manage their menstruation with dignity.
What is Menstrual Hygiene? 

 
Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) is defined as:
“Women and adolescent girls are using clean menstrual management
materials to absorb or collect blood that can be changed in privacy as often
as necessary for the duration of the menstruation period, using soap and
water for washing the body as required, and having access to facilities to
dispose of used menstrual management materials" (JMP 2012). 
Globally, at least 500 million women and girls lack proper access to
menstrual hygiene facilities. Several factors influence difficult experiences
with menstruation, including inadequate facilities and materials, menstrual
pain, fear of disclosure, and inadequate knowledge about the menstrual
cycle (World Bank 2018).