Think you know what’s good for you? You may be surprised. Take a look at these seven seemingly good habits that can actually be bad for your health.

1. Drinking lots of water

Adequate water intake prevents kidney disease, keeps the digestive system healthy, improves moods, and keeps skin moist. But drinking lots of water may cause water intoxication. Water intoxication, which is also known as hyper hydration, is the fatal disturbance in brain function that results when the normal balance of electrolytes in the body goes outside the safe limits by over hydration.

2. You wash your pillowcases weekly

It’s good to wash your pillowcases every week but do you remember when was the last time you actually bought new pillows or washed the ones you have? If you can’t remember, it is a problem. Bedroom is where you’ll find the greatest number of dust mites and pillows can be a breeding site for them.

3. Drinking bottled water and drinking water in a plastic bottle

Bottled water is not healthy than what comes out of your purifier. In packaged products, you may not always know what you’re getting. And furthermore there is a connection between BPA consumption and health issues like cancer, hyperactivity, and obesity. So to limit your BPA intake, avoid plastic water bottles. And also if you are chugging from plastic vessels, you may be unknowingly consuming chemicals that could make you sick.

4. Exercising rigorously before an upcoming event

Setting up an ambitious exercise goal is very good, but going crazy by doing too much of workout can backfire and lead to injuries. It’s good to challenge yourself but don’t make your exercise session so strenuous that it prevents you from sticking to a regular exercise routine later on.

5. Drinking diet soda

Label on the diet soda doesn’t look bad, no calories, carbs, fat, or sugar. But soda, an acid, actually erodes teeth, even if it’s sugar-free, and there’s some evidence that sugar substitutes could actually lead to weight gain.

6. Making your bed every morning

Although tidying up promotes cleanliness and an overall sense of peace at home but unfortunately, it traps heat and moisture on the bed, creating an environment for dust mites to thrive. In other words, doing this will make your bedroom heaving with tiny bugs. And these microscopic creatures play a role in alleviating asthma and allergies.

7. Protein bars

Protein bars don’t fall fresh from the tree. Often they are high in calories and sugar – not exactly what the body needs after a hard workout.

8. Swapping cocktails for mocktails

While cutting down on alcohol is definitely beneficial for your health, but by swapping cocktails for mocktails, you are doing your health no favour. This is because mocktails are often high in refined sugar which is just as damaging and addictive as alcohol. You should rather go for mocktails made from pure fruit juices instead of those made from syrups.

9. Early morning workouts

It is better to save heavier workouts for the later part of the day because heavy training sessions early in the morning can compromise the immune system and put you at risk of viral and bacterial infections. Prefer jogging or gentle exercise for early morning.

10. Taking nutritional supplements

Vitamins are good for you but high doses of vitamin supplements including iron, magnesium and vitamin B6 raise the death rate of older women. Another study says that taking vitamin E can increase men’s risk of prostate cancer. So, completely relying on nutritional supplements can be bad for your health. So, rather than taking nutritional supplements, a better approach is to opt for a varied diet full of fruits and vegetables.

11. Switching to low fat food

When you start eating healthy in order to lose weight, it is tempting to opt for low fat foods. But cutting out ‘good’ fats, such as omega-3 fatty acids, could be bad for your health. Omega-3 fatty acids, not only help to keep skin limber and wrinkle-free but, are also essential for good brain and heart health and can help prevent arthritis.

12. Using hand sanitizer

If you are obsessed with cleanliness and have made a habit of frequently using hand sanitizer like you use a lotion, you should stop doing this right away. Triclosan, an active ingredient in hand sanitizer, can kill off the good bacteria on your hands and allow antibiotic-resistant bacteria to grow.

13. You catch up on sleep during the weekend

It is a myth that if we miss sleep over the course of the weekday we need to catch up on sleep during the weekend. In truth, you can make up that sleep debt by sleeping for eight hours a couple of nights in a row.

14. Sitting too straight

We are always told to sit straight as sitting straight is considered good for our health and posture. But a study says, sitting up straight (i.e. 90-degree angle) is actually harmful in the long run (offices). Best position in which to sit at your desk is leaning back, at about 135 degrees.

15. You brush your teeth after meals

Are you obsessed with brushing your teeth after every meal? You should not do so because the acid from some citrus foods, colas or sports drinks, can soften the enamel on your teeth. And brushing your teeth while the enamel is still soft can speed up the effect of the acid and erode the layer beneath it.