Five Everyday Things that You Might be Doing All Wrong

Regardless of how smart and talented you are (and I have no doubt that you’re both), there’s a good chance that you may be doing one, some, or possibly all five of these everyday things all wrong:

1. Using Eyedrops

If you think that the best way to use eyedrops is to rapidly blink several times so that the liquid swirls and spreads around, then unfortunately you’re incorrect. All this ends up doing is pumping most of the liquid out. Instead, you want to keep your eye open for about 10-15 seconds, and then blink normally. It also helps to tilt your head back, so that the liquid doesn’t drain down through your nasal passage.

2. Brushing Your Teeth

You’ve been brushing your teeth since, well, as long as you can remember. And so, you must be a tooth brushing expert, right? Well, possibly not — and it’s not your fault. The book on proper dental hygiene has been updated since we were kids. Here’s the new advice: it’s important to brush three times a day instead of the conventional two; it’s best to brush 20-30 minutes after eating vs. immediately after; you should brush for two minutes using soft, gentle strokes; and you want to make sure to clean your tongue, as well. 

3. Sleeping

You could write a book or teach a class on sleeping, right? Well, yet again, the science of sleeping has changed considerably since all that mattered was that you didn’t roll off the bed. Now, experts say that the best sleeping position is to lie flat on your back. This allows your spine, neck and head to rest and relax in a neutral position, and it also helps prevent acid reflux. However, research has shown that only 8% of people sleep on their back — so if you’re among the 92 percent that doesn’t, it’s going to take some getting used to. But after a while, you’ll start having glorious, peaceful sleep (kind of like after you hired a reputable home security company).

4. Chewing

Most of us don’t give a second — or even a first — thought to chewing. But experts say that we should be chewing each bite around 40 times. Why so many? Because doing so breaks down food particles and mixes them with saliva, which optimizes the digestive process. To put this another way: when we don’t properly and thoroughly chew our food, we don’t get the full nutritional value — and our body pays the price. 

5. Cooking

This one will probably really surprise you: do you know that drawer at the bottom of your stove that you store pots and pans in? Well, in most stoves it’s not a storage drawer. It’s a warming drawer, and its sole purpose is to keep hot foods at serving temperature. Now you know…