Five Little Annoyances and Their Solutions

Face it. Life is full of little annoyances. Some people just choose to deal with it, while others, seek the solutions to what's bugging them. You may not be able to find all the answers, but, it does not hurt to try. The following is a list of five common annoyances, how they occur, and the solutions to make life just a little easier to bear.

Hang nails. They are painfully annoying. It's not serious or life-threatening, but, quite the nuisance. A hangnail is actually not a nail at all, but, an excess piece of skin around the nail. According to an article in www.mamashealth.com, hangnails occur when the cuticle becomes dry and depart from the nail. Picking at it only makes it worse. To treat hangnails, the article advises to try cuticle oils or moisturizing creams. Also, trim the hangnail area with clean, manicuring scissors to prevent it from getting caught on clothing. Trimming them enables healing within a few days.

Those little painful bumps on the tip of the tongue. The medical term for such bumps is Transient lingual papillitis (TLP). According to www.netwellness.org, this condition affects the taste buds on the upper surface of the tongue. They are believed to be caused by rubbing or biting the taste buds, according to the article. Although, you are tempted to rub the bump against the teeth, it actually makes the condition worse. What to do? Believe it or not, the over-the-counter oral gels used for cankor sores and mouth irritation are effective in treating TLP. According to the netwellness article, the medications act as a bandage to protect the surface of the bump from irritation.

Styes on the eyelid. When a stye forms on the eyelid, it feels like something is always in your eye, and no amount of blinking or rubbing can make it go away. According to the National Library of Medicine (NLM), a stye is an inflamed oil gland on the edge of your eyelid that often looks like a pimple. Bacteria from the skin causes the stye to form, much like acne, by blocking the oil glands. Relax, there's treatment. According to the NLM, you can apply a warm compress to the eye, four times a day, ten minutes at a time. Also, antibiotic creams help prevent styes from reoccurring, however, you should let the stye drain on its own without trying to squeeze it.

Papercuts. These are very common and often painful. How can something so small be so irritating? According to www.articleworld.org, the reason why they hurt so much is because they don't bleed, leaving the pain receptors exposed to air and other irritants, including substances that may be on the paper itself. The article offers a few non-conventional, yet helpful treatments for papercuts. Try using non-toxic glue, or petroleum jelly to reduce the pain sensation.

Static shock. Sometimes, when you least expect it, you touch a metal door knob, a file cabinet, or another person touches you, and "pop!" You experience a static shock. According to www.electrostatics.net, you get static shock when your body is charged to over 4,000V and you touch something conductive, such as metal, water, or other people. Static shock occurs when the air is dry. Air is most dry during cold weather outdoors or in areas where central heating or cooling is on, according to information from electrostatic. There are a few solutions on www.electrostatics.net to prevent static shock or reduce its occurrence. The most practical solution would be to touch other materials that are less conductive, such as wood, or concrete, to allow the static charge to escape slowly, so that you are less likely to get a shock. Other solutions include raising the air's humidity by 40-50 percent with a humidifier. Wear shoes with a leather sole. Shoes with a rubber sole are considered highly insulating, which allows static charge to build up on the soles of the shoes.