43 Dangerous Things People Were Shocked Nobody Had Warned Them About

Today’s post highlights some everyday habits that might seem harmless at first, but can have consequences we don’t always think about. And we have a few more to add to the list. None of these means that doing something once will suddenly put your health at risk, of course, but they’re good reminders that small choices can add up over time. After all, when it comes to health, it’s usually better to be safe than sorry.

A sedentary lifestyle has increasingly been described as a major, often overlooked health risk. Research has found that people who take more daily steps generally have lower risks of premature death, with benefits appearing well below the old-fashioned idea that everyone needs to hit exactly 10,000 steps a day. One study found that taking more steps was associated with lower all-cause, cardiovascular, and cancer mortality, with benefits continuing up to roughly 10,000 steps per day. So, if your work involves sitting at a desk for hours, even adding a few short walks throughout the day can be a worthwhile habit.

If you have a habit of crunching through the ice at the bottom of your drink, your teeth might not be particularly grateful. The American Dental Association warns that chewing hard substances such as ice can damage enamel and increase the risk of chipped or broken teeth. Repeated pressure can be especially problematic if a tooth already has a filling, crack, or other weakness. So perhaps let the ice melt rather than treating your drink like a bowl of crunchy snacks.

Speaking of dental health, there’s another habit worth paying attention to: mouth-breathing, especially while sleeping. In The Dental Diet: The Surprising Link between Your Teeth, Real Food, and Life-Changing Natural Health, Dr. Steven Lin discusses how chronic mouth-breathing can contribute to a dry mouth. That matters because saliva does much more than simply keep your mouth comfortable; it helps wash away food, neutralize acids, and protect and remineralize tooth enamel. When saliva flow is reduced, the risk of cavities, enamel demineralization, and other oral problems can increase.

Also, skipping flossing and regular dental care isn't just about ending up with a cavity. Gum disease is a chronic inflammatory condition, and bacteria from infected gum pockets can enter the bloodstream. The American Heart Association says periodontal disease is associated with cardiovascular problems, including heart attack and stroke, although researchers have not established that gum disease directly causes these conditions. In other words, looking after your teeth and gums is part of looking after your overall health, too.

And while we're on the subject of everyday habits, what we eat (and how we store it) matters too. That leftover rice sitting on the kitchen counter may look perfectly innocent, but cooked rice can provide a good environment for Bacillus cereus, a bacterium that can survive as heat-resistant spores. If cooked rice is left at room temperature for too long, the bacteria can multiply and produce toxins. Some of these toxins can survive reheating, which is why simply throwing old rice into a hot pan isn't necessarily enough to make it safe. The good news is that this is easy to avoid: refrigerate cooked rice promptly rather than leaving it out for hours.