Cracking your knuckles will cause arthritis. Eggs impact your cholesterol levels. Coffee stunts your growth. For decades, health myths like these have influenced consumer decisions, originating from obscure studies or the opinion of a then-influential doctor. Science has debunked much of this conventional wisdom that percolates as fact. Here are 18 of the most common health myths that everyone needs to stop believing right now.
Myth: Exercising at night ruins your sleep
Feel free to work out at night if that's your jam. Getty Images
The truth: Not for everyone.
The advice of late-1900s exercise professionals would have you believe that exercising too late in the evening keeps you up at night. It's just not true for everyone: Researchers have found that certain nighttime exercises like yoga or weightlifting may have no impact whatsoever on your sleep quality, and for some people, exercising before bed can even result in better ZZZs.
Read more: How to Get Better Sleep
Myth: Eating eggs causes high cholesterol
Go ahead and eat your omelet. Getty Images
The truth: Eggs have almost no effect on your blood cholesterol.
You, among millions of others influenced by the 1968 recommendation that adults should eat no more than three whole eggs per week, may have needlessly avoided eggs for the last 50 years. Scientists have since debunked the idea that eggs increase your blood cholesterol and heighten your risk for heart disease, and recent research even suggests that eating eggs can improve your heart health.
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