'Healthy' habits that could do more harm than good

We've all heard advice telling us to exercise more, meditate, drink lots of water and eat a Mediterranean diet. But it turns out there IS too much of a good thing after all. Here Tanith Carey looks at how to get the balance right

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Meditation is always touted as the best way to improve our sense of calm. But research has found that's not always the case, and in some cases it can make you MORE anxious.

A 2020 review led by Coventry University has also found that about one in 12 people who try meditating get unwanted side effects, like worsening depression or anxiety.

It can even bring on these conditions if you've never had them before.

Psychologists believe this may be because meditation changes the activity in the brain's prefrontal cortex. This may alter the activity in the "fight-flight-or-freeze" limbic system, where threats and worries are processed.

Dr Miguel Farias, an associate professor in experimental psychology at Coventry, who has led some of the research, says: "For now, if meditation is to be used as a wellbeing or therapeutic tool, the public needs to be informed about its potential for harm.

Water Water helps your digestion, blood circulation, and helps move nutrients around. But there's a downside too. It can lead to hyponatremia, where levels of sodium - the water-soluble mineral that helps regulate water in the cells become diluted. As a result, too much water moves into your cells and makes them swell, leading to dizziness and headaches.

So how much is too much? According to a 2013 study in the Annals of Paediatric Endocrinology & Metabolism, hyponatremia can hit you after drinking three to four litres of water in an hour, faster than the kidneys, which filter fluids, can process them. But dietitian Nichola Ludlam-Raine, of nicsnutrition.