The origin of the word hygiene comes from the French word hygiène which in turn came from the New Latin word hygieina and before that the Greek word hygieinḕ. Ultimately though, at the end of the trail, is Hygieia, daughter of the Greco-Roman god of medicine Asclepius and the goddess of cleanliness and sanitation.
Hygiene has a long history among humans. Good hygiene is very important in our society today as it was in previous years. Its practice takes many forms in our daily lives, it’s so important to the point that having bad hygiene can lead to many health repercussions and social ostracization.
Why is hygiene important?
Good hygiene is important because it plays an integral part in keeping adults and children alike healthy and free from germs and diseases. There are conditions that can arise from having poor hygiene, some examples include diarrhea, respiratory infections, staph infections and of course COVID 19. Given the current state of the world proper hygiene has never been more important.
Benefits of good personal hygiene
Better health: Practising proper personal hygiene ensures that you have good health. Now that doesn’t mean you will never fall sick, but it does mean that your incidences of sickness would be greatly reduced. The effort we put into taking care of our body and mind will go a long way in ensuring how good, healthy and balanced our lifestyles are.
Better social relationships: Everyone wants to be around attractive people and everyone wants to be attractive too. If you appear unwashed and possess body odour, this will immediately place you in several social disadvantages as others will find you less attractive and even potentially dangerous to their own health and wellness.
Better state of mind: Confidence and self-esteem are affected by our body image. Healthy teeth, hair, skin and nails are signs of a healthy and well-groomed individual who pays attention to his or her personal hygiene. If the opposite were the case, your confidence would be low and this could push you to have a negative mindset towards yourself.
Tips for good personal hygiene
Wash your hands: Thou must wash thy hands, a golden rule which is the foundation on which good personal hygiene is built on. According to the United States Center for Disease Control (CDC), the recommended amount of time a person should spend washing their hands is 20 seconds. The CDC also recommends that people who don’t have a watch to count 20 seconds should consider humming the happy birthday song from start to finish and using that as a timer instead.
Wash your body: Thou must wash every inch of thy body. Be sure to make use of soap and a clean sponge to wash your body after a long day at work. It is recommended to take a shower at least twice a day in order to maintain proper personal hygiene. Always dry off with a clean towel and put on clean dry clothes after taking a bath. Also, remember applying deodorant keeps the body odour away.
Wash your mouth: Thou must brush thy teeth and tongue. Use a toothbrush and toothpaste always in order to ensure a clean and fresh breath. No one likes to smell your last meal every time they talk to you so be sure to double up on your oral hygiene by using mouth wash and mints when you can. Also remember to scrub your tongue till its pink, be gentle with the motions because the tongue can bruise easily.
I hope you’ve learnt a thing or two, please drop a comment or some hygiene tips below.
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