Crazy Counterintuitive Health Tips That Really Work

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A lot of times, health tips seem pretty straightforward. Want to prevent dehydration? Drink more water. Need to lose weight? Try exercising and eating less. Seems simple, right?

But there are some tips that sound pretty counterintuitive and might leave you confused. The following tips might sound strange, but they really do work!

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Drinking Water When You’re Bloated

If you’re feeling like your body is bloated and holding water weight, it’s likely because you’re not getting enough water. If you’re not drinking enough water, your salt/water ratio becomes unbalanced and your body will hang on to any fluids it can.

Drinking enough water will restore the sodium balance so that your body will give up the fluids. It also flushes your system and helps fiber work in your digestive tract, preventing constipation.

Tired? Avoid Energy Drinks

It’s easy to grab an energy drink when you’re feeling run-down and need a boost, but it will eventually leave you worse off. They usually contain five times the amount of caffeine than coffee, but they also often contain high levels of taurine and a ton of sugar.

The boost will be fleeting, and the crash that follows soon after will leave you sluggish, foggy, and more tired than before you drank it.

Gain Weight to Wear a Smaller Size

If you’re hoping to squeeze into a smaller size, try gaining weight! Muscle weight, that is. A pound of fat and a pound of muscle obviously weigh the same, but muscle takes up less space. By losing fat and gaining muscle, you’ll end up getting smaller overall, even if the scale says you weigh more.

Don’t Brush Your Teeth After Eating

I’m sure it contradicts what you’ve believed for your entire life, but thanks to recent research, professionals recommend that you wait to brush your teeth. Acidic foods can soften tooth enamel, and brushing your teeth can speed up enamel erosion.

Instead of brushing immediately after eating, dentists recommend that you wait at least 30 minutes.

Cool Off With a Warm Beverage

It sounds a little crazy to drink hot tea on a hot day, but it will help you feel cooler faster than drinking something cold.

When you sip a cup of warm tea, the receptors in your tongue will sense the change in temperature and tell your body to increase sweat production. As the sweat evaporates off of your skin, you will cool off naturally.