The Covid-19 has made us wander off on uncharted territory. While the going is tough – from overburdened hospitals to lost work – we can still bring back normalcy should we follow the right hygiene.
One of the top ways to do that is to stop touching your face.
According to many health experts, the only way to stay safe is to be at home. Health officials say that several ways can help to cut down the spread of the virus, and one of the easiest ways to do so stops touching the face all the time.[1]
Why is touching your face a bad idea?
All of us do it. We are in the habit of touching our faces all the time. Even when you feel a small itch or burn around our face, we tend to touch it with our bare hands. It’s also why most of us get infected. Here is why.
- The virus can enter the body easily through your face and mouth.
- People touch their faces around 3.6 times an hour, according to a study.
- Another study, from the Sydney University of 2015 showed that on an average basis, people touch their faces 23 times per hour.
- Another study[2] conducted in an office in 2008 showed that the employees touched their face 16 times an hour.
- It’s easy to become infected as your hands might have touched with the virus.
- Most touches are around the eyes, nose, and mouth, which is the easiest entry for viruses and bacteria in our bodies.
Medical professionals who are aware of how touching your face constantly tend to be dangerous continue doing it.[3] Studies have shown that medical professionals, on average, touch their faces 19 times a day in 2 hours without taking care of hygiene.
It is hard not to touch your face
We have always been in the habit of touching our faces. However, the Covid-19 outbreak has caused a huge mishap among people as one-touch on fingertips can make the microbes make an easy entry in your body.
Expert professionals suggest that they enter the body via the mucosal membranes. While proper hygiene can help to avoid the risk, being unhygienic will only give way to a viral infection.[4]
Stopping touching your face might be trickier than you think. For one, it’s a habit that you need to slowly cultivate within yourself – and that takes time. Several public figures came in support of the fact that you should not keep touching your face.
Handwashing can keep it all clean
Proper hygiene maintenance can help keep away germs and bacteria. Well, you should take small precautions such as washing your hand for 20 seconds every time. You never know when your fingertips have picked the germ.[5]
But, do you consciously touch your face? Most touch our faces unconsciously – even when we haven’t washed our hands.
How do you then stop touching your face? As we told above, it takes time to develop a new habit – but you can influence the change within yourself. Experts suggest adopting methods that can help you avoid touching the face. You may wear a ring or tie a band around the hand to raise awareness of the fact that you shouldn’t touch your face.
You touch your face often because you are stressed
The habit of constantly touching your face starts from a very young age – going on to become a habit. One of the government studies of 2014 shows that touching your face very often is related to stress and discomfort.[6]
According to the study, people will continue to touch his face repeatedly as a behavioral process if they are too stressed. This, however, is not intentionally done but is one of the most prominent ways to communicate. The act of constantly touching your face when you are stressed is carried out due to very little awareness.
Touching your face is common, but it has now become a problem in the light of the Covid-19 outbreak. If you are cautious enough, you will be able to keep track of how many times you are actually touching your face. Moreover, you will be able to adopt ways to prevent this.
Are there other ways to touch your face?
Changing the habit of touching your face constantly may be challenging but not impossible. However, if you feel like you are not reaching the goal, you may prefer opting for other ways that can help to lessen the risk of contracting an infection.[7]
Experts recommend carrying a tissue with oneself to avoid touching your face during instances of runny nose or sneeze. It is always suggested to cover your face during these times rather than touching it with bare hands.
Carrying a sanitizer has become an important part of avoiding any virus from infecting you. However, the sanitizer must contain 60% of alcohol.[8] According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), using soap and water can be beneficial for getting your hands rid of the visible dirt.
Don’t leave out things that you regularly use on any dirty surface. This might make it easier for the virus and allergens to transmit. You might as well prefer sanitizing your devices such as phones, car keys, laptops before using them.
Your eyes, mouth, and nose are the entry point of Covid-19. One small touch from any infected area will lead you to contracting and transmitting the virus.[9] You must keep washing your hands regularly. Although touching your face is close to impossible, you can still do it if you are cautious. Develop the right healthy habits, and you will see the changes quick. Plus, you will ensure that you keep yourself and others around you safe in these challenging times.
A little safety
will do you good and protect others around you as well.
[1] Sawicki SG, Sawicki DL, Siddell SG. A contemporary view of coronavirus transcription. Journal of virology. 2007;81(1):20–29. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18357546
[3] de Haan CA, Rottier PJ. Molecular interactions in the assembly of coronaviruses. Adv Virus Res. 2005;64:165–230. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
[4] https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prepare/transmission.html
[5] https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prepare/prevention.html
[6] Perlman S, Netland J. Coronaviruses post-SARS: update on replication and pathogenesis. Nat Rev Microbiol. 2009;7(6):439–450. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
[7] Chen Y, Liu Q, Guo D. Emerging coronaviruses: Genome structure, replication, and pathogenesis. J. Med. Virol. 2020 Apr;92(4):418-423. [PubMed]
[8] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2176051/
[9] Anand, K., J. Ziebuhr, P. Wadhwani, J. R. Mesters, and R. Hilgenfeld. 2003. Coronavirus main proteinase (3CLpro) structure: basis for design of anti-SARS drugs. Science 300:1763-1767. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]