Is Your Wardrobe Hurting Your Health?

Clothing is intended to not only ensure we don’t walk around naked, but to portray a certain image, build confidence, make a statement, and protect our bodies from the outside elements. But certain clothing items could be hurting our health over time, especially the types of clothing we wear to the office.

Many people who have office jobs must dress “professionally,” which often means suits, heels, and lugging around a lot of baggage. But although we may look professional, these items could have long-term effects on our health. Here is some popular work clothing attire that could be putting your health at risk.

Work Clothing That Puts Your Health at Risk

Neckties:

Men, listen up, how tight you’re doing your neckties could be preventing blood flow to the brain. A study uncovered that men who wear their neckties to slight discomfort had 7.5 percent less blood flow to the brain compared to men who wore an open-collared shirt. This is particularly dangerous for men who have high blood pressure as it can increase the risk of stroke or artery rupture. Furthermore, tight neckties have been attributed to greater pressure in the eyes, which can lead to changes in vision along with a higher risk of glaucoma.

High heels:

Heels force your body weight to the balls of your feet. Furthermore, heels put added stress on the spine, back, and knees, which can lead to joint pain and tendonitis. Plus, the higher the heel, the higher the drop, which further worsens problems. Heels can also lead to toe deformities like bunions, hangnails, and hammertoes. Inside of rocking a sky-high heel, opt for a one-inch heel or a wedge, which better balances body weight.

Heavy bags:

Carrying laptops, personal items, lunches, and other work-related documents can all be quite straining, especially if you’re supporting all these items on a single shoulder strap. This can lead to chronic back pain and cause you to become out of alignment. Instead, opt for a backpack with support straps or a wheel bag you can roll with you.
Thongs: Although thongs are a go-to underwear to remove panty lines, they can transfer harmful bacteria, which can lead to infections. If you must wear thongs, ensure you’re wearing them briefly and not daily by swapping between different cuts of underwear.

Shapewear:

Constantly wearing shapewear to appear thinner is putting added compression on your gut and intestines, which can increase gas, bloating, and indigestion. It can also affect the thighs by causing numbness, burning, and tingling – a condition known as meralgia parasthetica – as there is too much pressure on the nerves. Shapewear can also contribute to vaginal infections as many of them do not allow for breathing of the skin, which can lead to bacteria growth.

Skinny jeans:

By casual Friday, you may be allowed to wear jeans to the office, but when jeans are too tight, it can reduce circulation to the legs – similar to shapewear. There have been cases of women being sent to the hospital as a result of nerve damage caused by too tight skinny jeans. Ensure your skinny jeans are the right size along with having adequate stretch to allow proper mobility.

Also read:

• Wearing neckties may increase your risk for glaucoma