Seven daily sins: Shower every day? Rinse after brushing teeth? These 'healthy' habits could be devilishly bad for you

Could your daily routine be ruining your health? We all know that smoking, drinking and bingeing on junk food are behaviours to avoid if we want to keep fit - but an increasing amount of research is emerging to suggest other seemingly benign habits could also be bad for us.

Here, MATTHEW BARBOUR asks the experts to reveal these seven daily sins, and what we can do about them... DAILY SIN: SHOWERING EVERY DAY

Using piping-hot water combined with harsh soaps can strip the skin of its oils, resulting in dryness, cracking and even infection

The modern preoccupation with personal hygiene could be to the detriment of our skin, according to Dr Nick Lowe, consultant dermatologist at the Cranley Clinic  in London. 

‘Most people wash far too much,’ he says. ‘Using piping-hot water combined with harsh soaps can strip the skin of its oils, resulting in dryness, cracking and even infection. 

‘For the majority of us, there is no need to have a thorough wash every day.’
If the prospect of skipping a daily shower horrifies you, at least make sure you wash with cooler water, he says.

If you have a tendency towards dry skin, use a soap-free shower gel or aqueous cream — an emulsifying ointment containing paraffin oils, water and preservative that can be used in place of soap.

DAILY SIN: SLEEPING EIGHT HOURS A DAY

A short four to 15-minute 'power nap' can be as effective as an extra hour at night

The notion of getting eight hours of solid sleep each night is a ‘modern convention’ that could leave you feeling more tired, says Professor Jim Horne, of Loughborough University’s Sleep Research Centre.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1380504/Seven-daily-sins-Shower-day-Rinse-brushing-teeth-These-healthy-habits-devilishly-bad-you.html#ixzz1KecuZusW