Posted On: 2021-12-31 12:28:10
Hygiene is a sequence of routines that are used to maintain good health. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), "Hygiene refers to conditions and practices that help to maintain health and prevent the spread of diseases." Personal hygiene refers to keeping your body clean and healthy. Health and hygiene go hand in hand. Everyone has basic hygienic knowledge but sometimes because of an extra effort, people try to neglect these basic habits. Without proper hygiene, you cannot live a healthy living. This pandemic has revealed to us how important it is to maintain personal hygiene. To not get sick, it is important to opt for personal care, grooming and personal hygiene. When a person maintains their own personal hygiene, it also affects the people that are around and the environment surrounding them. Bacteria, viruses, fungi are all around flying waiting to counter you and enter your body. By maintaining adequate personal hygiene practices, you can stay away from all these germs and bacterias which are the roots of a lot of diseases.
Many people think hygiene is related to 'cleanliness,' but hygiene is a broad term that consists of a lot of personal habits to keep the person healthy and well. It includes such individual habit choices and daily routines as to how frequently to take a shower or bath, washing hands after every activity (like using the washroom, before eating, etc), trimming fingernails, and wearing washed clothes, sleeping routine, eating habits and drinking water at regular intervals every day. It also includes awareness to keep your surfaces in the home and workplace clean, including bathroom facilities and your sleeping bed clean. Some of these regular practices may be considered exemplary habits by society, while the neglect of hygiene can be considered disgusting, unmannered, or threatening.
Many diseases and conditions can be controlled or managed through appropriate personal hygiene. It is important for a person to maintain both physical and mental health. In people with bad personal hygiene, the body provides an ideal environment for germs to grow, leaving them vulnerable to infection.
Every person has different types of practices that they maintain for their hygiene. Below mentioned are the main categories that are a useful place to start for building good hygiene habits:
This is the most important type, it not only affects your health but also affects people that use the same washrooms. A set of basic practices should be maintained when a person uses toilets, especially when a person uses public toilets. Wash your hands after you use the toilet. Scrub with soap for 20 to 30 seconds, and be sure to clean between your fingers, on the back of your hands, and under your nails. Rinse with warm water, and dry with a clean towel. Flush the toilet after every use, keep it clean for the next person, as we expect the same.
If you don’t have running water or soap, an 60% alcohol-based hand sanitiser can be used as an alternative.
It depends on a person how often they wish to shower, but it is beneficial if most people rinse at least alternate days. Showering from the head can also differ from person to person. . Shampooing your hair and scalp helps remove skin buildup and helps in keeping hair healthy. Showering with soap assists in rinsing away dead skin cells, bacteria, and oils. Body wash along with loofah is better than soaps as it can clean the places where soaps cannot reach. So it is recommended to use body wash once per week. Wearing clean clothes after a shower is a must.
Clip your nails regularly to keep them short and clean as nails are the major reason for where the bacterias enter a person's body. Tidying your nails helps you stop spreading germs into your mouth and other body openings. One should avoid biting nails as this habit is not a good hygiene practice.
Good dental hygiene is not only about pearly white teeth.
Managing care for your teeth and gums is a clever way to prevent gum diseases and cavities as dental pain gets worse.
Basic activities include brushing at least twice a day for 2 minutes. Flossing between your teeth daily and using an antibacterial mouthwash. These basic activities help prevent tooth decay and eliminate pockets where bacteria and germs can build up.
If you’re unwell, you should take certain measures to keep from spreading germs to others. This includes wearing your mask or covering your mouth and nose when sneezing, wiping down shared surfaces with an antibacterial wipe, and not sharing any utensils, electronics or stationery, using alcohol-based sanitizers at regular intervals. Also, immediately throw away any soiled tissues.
Hands have the most germs which can easily enter your body through your mouth, nose, eyes, or ears. Washing hands before/after the following activities is a must:
before, during, and after preparing food
before eating food
before and after looking after anyone who is vomiting or has diarrhoea
before and after treating a cut or wound
after going to the bathroom
after changing diapers or cleaning up a child who has used the toilet
after blowing the nose, coughing, or sneezing
after touching garbage or dirty surfaces or objects
after handling pets or pet-related items, such as food
Likewise, wash your hands after changing a baby’s diaper, helping someone clean themselves, or when cleaning a cut or wound. In this time, where there is an ongoing pandemic it is recommended to wash hands-on at regular intervals.
It is necessary to change sanitary products regularly and to wash the hands before and after changing tampons, cups, pads, or any other sanitary products with soap.
As vaginas are self-cleaning, using soap to clean the vagina can cause an imbalance of its natural bacterial environment and lead to infections. The vulva (the outer part of the vagina) should only need cleansing once a day using mild soap and water.
People with an uncircumcised penis can clean it by gently pulling back the foreskin and washing underneath it with warm water or soap. The hygiene of intimate areas, however, is not as widely talked about. But just like any other part of the body, it is extremely necessary to take care of one’s intimate areas by keeping them clean to prevent infections and other health threats.
Medical hygiene pertains to the hygiene procedures that prevent or minimize disease and the spreading of disease in respect to assisting medical care to those who are infected or who are more "at-risk" of infection in the home. Care of growing numbers of patients in the community, including at home is one answer but can be fatally undermined by inadequate infection control in the home. During Covid, we all have witnessed how easily infection can be spread from one person to another. This pandemic also made us realize how easily the world could be paused if Hygiene is not maintained. All of these "at-risk" groups are cared for at home by a carer who may be a household member who thus requires a good knowledge of hygiene. With bad hygiene, immunity will be weakened and the body will be prone to diseases.
Routine cleaning of (hand, food, drinking water) sites in the kitchen, Pathogens can survive in the scum or scale left behind on washbasins after washing
Thorough cleaning is important in stopping the spread of fungal infections. Moulds can live on wall and floor tiles. Mould can be accountable for infections, cause allergic responses, deteriorate/damage surfaces, and cause unpleasant odours. Primary sites of fungal growth are insentient surfaces, including carpets and soft furnishings. Air-borne fungi are usually associated with damp conditions, poor ventilation, or closed air systems.
Chemical disinfectants are products that kill pathogens. If the product is a disinfectant, the label on the product should say "disinfectant" or "kills" pathogens. Some commercial products, e.g. bleaches, even though they are technically disinfectants, say that they "kill pathogens" but are not actually labelled as "disinfectants". Not all disinfectants kill all types of pathogens.
It is, therefore, important to check whether the product label states that it "kills bacteria." Alcohol hand sanitisers however are not considered to be effective on soiled hands. These disinfectants can help in keeping the surfaces clean in the kitchen, toilets as well as bathrooms.
Drinking quality water remains a significant problem in developing and developed countries, it is estimated that 120 million people do not have access to safe drinking water. Good water quality can decrease diarrheal disease in communities where water quality is poor or in emergency situations where there is a shortage in the water supply. Since water can become contaminated during storage at home (e.g. by contact with contaminated hands or using dirty storage vessels), safe storage of water in the home is important.
Methods for treatment of drinking water
Chemical disinfection using chlorine or iodine
Boiling
Filtration using ceramic filters
Multi Barrier methods – Some systems use two or more of the above treatments in combination or in succession to optimize efficacy.
Portable water purification devices
Sleep hygiene is the suggested behavioural and environmental practice that is intended to promote better quality sleep. It was recommended to help people with mild to moderate insomnia, but, as of 2014, the evidence for the effectiveness of individual suggestions is "limited and inconclusive". Clinicians assess the sleep hygiene of individuals who show insomnia and other conditions, such as depression and offer recommendations based on the assessment.
Sleep hygiene practices include establishing a routine sleep schedule, using naps with care, not exercising physically or mentally too close to bedtime, limiting worry, limiting exposure to light in the hours before sleep, getting out of bed if sleep does not come, not using the bed for anything but rest and avoiding alcohol as well as nicotine, caffeine, and other stimulants in the hours before bedtime and having a peaceful, comfortable and dark sleep environment.
Poverty and lack of access to clean water and hygiene resources can have a damaging effect on a person’s personal hygiene. About 2 million people die every year due to diarrheal diseases, most of them are children less than 5 years of age. The most affected are the populations in developing countries, living in extreme conditions of poverty, normally peri-urban dwellers or rural inhabitants. Reducing infectious diseases has been integrated into the Sustainable Development Goal Number 6 whose second target states: "By 2030, achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations".
Other hygiene practices, such as safe disposal of waste, surface hygiene, and care of domestic animals, are important in low-income communities to break the chain of infection transmission.
Providing access to sufficient quantities of safe water, the provision of facilities for sanitary disposal of excreta, clean toilets and hand wash facilities are important to prevent odours and make them socially acceptable, many low caste people do not have access to these basic privileges.
A person’s mental health and people living with Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia can also affect how they take care of themselves. People who are living with certain diseases, such as a psychotic disorder, severe depression, or drug or alcohol use condition, may find it very difficult to keep up a personal hygiene routine.
Poor hygiene is a sensitive topic, and speaking to a person about it can be challenging. As a result, a person with bad personal hygiene could become isolated from other people. it can affect both workplaces as well as friend circles.
There are also many health signals of having poor personal hygiene, with the CDC Trusted Source listing the following as hygiene-related diseases:
athlete’s foot
body lice
chronic diarrhoea
body odour
tooth decay
head lice
hot tub rash
pinworms
pubic lice
scabies
continued cold
swimmer’s ear
ringworm
Helpful tips for constructing a hygiene routine include the following:
With daily practice, a new habit can become a regular part of life. Choose one area to focus on and practice until it becomes second nature.
Set reminders: Using the notes app on a cell phone can be a great way to avoid forgetting any tasks.
Drink water regularly
Invest in nice toiletries: Using products that smell good may encourage some people to stick to their hygiene routine.
Increase the amount of fresh air by opening windows or changing air conditioning
Be healthy
Personal hygiene is simply looking after the body and keeping it clean and healthy. These practices prevent any diseases and help to keep a person safe and secure.
Author : Lubdha Dhanopia
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