When you were younger, your parents might have told you time and time again to sit or stand up straight. Was it annoying to hear the same thing over and over? Did you wish that they would stop and just leave you be? While being told what to do can be frustrating, they might have had a point. Did you find the time to check why they kept reminding you about your posture?
Bad posture can be the cause of a wide variety of health hazards. According to medical experts, if it has become a habit, it can put unnecessary strain to your bodily organs and systems that can lead to them not functioning properly.
Because posture is a major factor in a person’s health, it should be corrected right away if done wrong. Fortunately, there are many different ways to improve one’s posture that can boost not only your physical health, but also your mental and emotional well-being. Failure to do so will only put you in a graver situation that might be difficult to climb out of.
Below are dangers linked to bad posture that you should be wary of:
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Problems enjoying a good night’s sleep
Sleep is very important in maintaining one’s good health. Every night, you have to have at least 7 or 8 hours of uninterrupted slumber for your body to recover from all the stress, pressure, and damages it faced throughout the day. In order for you to enjoy a good night’s sleep, your body has to be relaxed, free from any discomforts and aches. However, if you have bad posture, you become prone to tensed muscles, back and shoulder pains, and others that make falling asleep quite challenging.
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Persistent shoulder and back pains
If you work a desk job, you might already have experienced shoulder and back pains that are difficult to get rid of. The muscles in these parts of the body are subjected to strain that causes pain and tightness. To avoid them, you have to learn how to sit properly. Get a better quality chair, like an ergonomic one. When sitting, you should rest your back on the backrest, your shoulders pulled back, and your neck and head propped up straight. Every hour or so, do some neck and shoulder exercises to loosen the muscles and relieve the tension that has built up in there.
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More frequent headaches
Slouching and hunching subject your neck, shoulder, and back muscles to extra strain that they do not need. These also cause the misalignment of your spine, muscles, and other bones in the body. As a result, pains and aches arise that may trigger headaches.
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Feeling less motivated
Do you frequently feel like there is no point accomplishing anything at work or in school? Would you rather just stay at home, get some more sleep, or binge watch the latest, hottest series out? After hours and hours of bad posture, your body starts to feel miserable. Your brain then sends out a message that you cannot do anything more of what needs to be done, because you are clearly not at your 100%. You lose the drive and energy to go on, and end up working less efficiently and not as productive.
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Mood swings
Because of the pain and discomfort brought about by bad posture, you are prone to having mood swings. How else would you feel if you are experiencing like a hundred needles are stabbing you in the back? How else would you react if turning your head from side to side sets off an excruciating current that travels down your shoulders and back? Of course, you would feel all sorts of negativity.
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Feeling tired easily
To keep all of your body parts in place, your body works really hard 24/7. Now, if you have bad posture, it has to work even much harder. The extra effort it exerts causes you to get exhausted really fast. The body has a certain energy reserve that is distributed to the different parts to allow each one to do their jobs. However, if some functions start demanding for more energy, the others might be left with less than what they should have or even none at all. Thus, if you can walk up a flight of strains with ease before, bad posture can mess that up and result to fatigue and exhaustion even after only getting about halfway up.
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Poor blood circulation
If you stand or sit slouching, you are constricting your blood flow. The veins and arteries in your cardiovascular system are not able to let the right amount of blood and oxygen to pass through them, if there is extra strain or pressure on them. This can lead to severe health problems that might put you in terrible condition later in life.
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Difficulty breathing
The organs in your respiratory system have to be in their proper places and unobstructed to allow proper flow of air in and out of your body. If you have bad posture, particularly if you are always hunched over, your diaphragm may not be able to let air pass through, resulting in breathing problems. Thus, to promote an efficient respiratory function, as well as a healthy heart and brain, observe good posture.
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Higher risk of arthritis
Poor posture takes a toll not only on your shoulders, back, neck, and spine, but also on your knees. The excess pressure and strain you subject your joints to can lead to pain that can worsen over time. You become prone to arthritis, which attacks the cartilage and joints in your knees, and lead to deformity and permanent severe damage if not treated right away.
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Decreased sexual function
Your sex life can also be affected by your bad posture. If you do not sit or stand properly, your pelvic floor muscles become tighter and weaker, making them unable to give their all during sexual activity, i.e. failure to get an erection or orgasm, or lower stamina. Because of that, you may need to look into using male enhancement supplements, in addition to improving your posture.
