You might not even notice, but your hand may involuntarily go up to your face several times a day - whether it’s to itch a scratch, get your hair away from your face, or to simply rub your eyes after a long day. Touching your face is inevitable.
However, this tiny, unconscious habit has a hidden cost. More so because it may happen several times a day. Touching your face often can tremendously increase your chances of contracting flu, common cold and COVID-19, Let’s explore.
Why Frequent Face Touching Is Risky Business
Each of these - your eyes, nose and mouth - serves as an entry point for pathogens. Hands can pick up a lot of germs over the course of a day from objects like door handles, railings, as well as other contaminated surfaces. If you touch your face directly after touching any of these, you give viruses a direct entry into your system. Even if you follow good hand hygiene habits, the risk persists because you never know when your hands pick up a virus.
How Infections Spread
As per the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, viruses such as SARS-CoV-2 can spread in either one of these two ways:
- Via contact with respiratory droplets. These are released whenever an infected person sneezes or coughs. Or even talks. Nearby persons may end up inhaling these infected droplets.
- Via surface transmission. Various objects and surfaces often serve as a landing place for viruses. Touching any contaminated area and then touching your face immediately after can cause you to contract that virus.
Although face masks are useful in limiting exposure to airborne transmissions, avoiding contact with contaminated surfaces can be much more challenging.
Why The Frequency Of Face Touching Matters
First off, everybody engages in the habit of face touching. It’s a fact. Even studies back it up. In fact, according to one particular study, people indulged in this seemingly harmless habit several times in an hour - up to 16 instances of face touching in 60 minutes, if we have to be precise.
Another study that focused entirely on medical students revealed that their face-touching rates are higher, reaching 23 times per hour. Half of these cases reported touching eyes, face, or nose, thus increasing the chances of germ transmission.
If that wasn’t surprising enough, healthcare workers also fall prey to this habit. Their average, as per recent studies, comes up to 19 times over 120 minutes. Though better than the rest, it’s important to note here that these are the numbers of people who are trained to follow strict hygiene protocols.
Psychiatrist Dr. Alex Dimitriu reveals that face touching is an automatic gesture that people unconsciously engage in during focus-intensive activities such as specific tasks, meetings, or phone calls. The most sure-fire way to fix this habit is to increase self-awareness.
Why Handwashing Isn’t Enough
Even if you follow the full 20-second handwashing routine regularly, it might still not be an ironclad way to thwart possible infections. It can prevent them, sure, but the challenge lies in how frequently your hands get re-exposed to contaminated surfaces. For example, something as mundane as opening your door or holding your phone can bring new germs to your hands.
That’s why the CDC recommends you follow these steps to ensure your hands are as germ-free as possible:
- Wet
- Lather
- Scrub well
- Rinse better
- Dry
However, for handwashing to be truly effective, you have to consciously resist the urge to touch your face every now and then. That’s key to disease prevention.
Simple Strategies To Break The Habit
It might be difficult, but it’s not impossible to break the habit of repeatedly touching your face. With a little effort, discipline, and self-awareness, you can shed the habit of unnecessary face touching. Clinical psychologist Dr. Zachary Sikora has a few strategies up his sleeve in this regard. We have listed them below:
Set visible reminders: Paste sticky notes at areas you frequent around your house and clearly label them “do not touch face” to serve as a direct habit-breaking prompt. You can do the same at your work desk.
Keep your hands occupied: When you’re working, try holding a stress ball or a piece of tissue in your hand. It may deter you from touching your face too often. You can also replace the urge with other tasks, such as folding laundry, for example.
Use scented products: By using fragranced soaps and sanitizers, you activate and engage your sense of smell. This, in turn, can heighten your awareness of where your hand is, thus stopping unnecessary face touching.
Practice intentional posture: Clasp your hands together and place them on your lap during sessions that require long sitting hours, such as meetings or classrooms. This will make you conscious of their placement, so you do not have to bring them up to your face again.
Wear gloves when needed: Wearing gloves is a physical cue that can help you break the habit of repeated face touching. However, be mindful of the glove’s hygiene too or it can spell more trouble since they cannot be washed as easily as hands. Use this technique only if it works for you instead of aggravating the germ problem.
The Takeaway
A deeply ingrained behavior that’s often performed without any thought, touching your face frequently, poses a virus exposure. However, by becoming more mindful of your actions as well as employing small, strategic changes to your routine, you can break this habit and reduce the risks it comes with. Combining good hand hygiene with conscious behavior can go a long way in protecting your health.
