It's that time of year again. That time that one one third of my college has the flu. During this time, it's important to stay away from your friends who are sick. But, most of the times it is unavoidable to catch it. If you have already caught a cold/flu, here are five ways to shorten your illness.
1. Start taking medicine after your first symptom appears.
The faster you realize that you are getting sick, the sooner you can get over the illness. After you hear that one of your friends has the cold or flu, and you begin to start feeling symptoms yourself, immediately start taking cold medicine. The most effective ways to boost your immune system is by eating the vitamin C gummies, airborne, or emergen-c. By treating the symptoms before they are in full effect, you are boosting your immune system so you can fight the illness faster. Where you can't necessarily control how you got sick, but you can control what you are taking to eleviate the symptoms.
2. Stay hydrated!
The most effective way to shorten colds/ the flu is to stay hydrated. Yet, it is the easiest to forget to do. Especially when you are feeling ill, it can be annoying to have to constantly fill up your water bottle. We are genuinely busy throughout the day, and most people do not drink enough water. Therefore, if you are already dehydrated and you get sick, it can be even harder to get better. The more hydrated you are, the faster you can get rid of the congestion you feel when you have the cold and flu.
3. Rest.
This tip is very much easier said than done. Especially when you have to attend classes and keep up with work and assignments. Yet, this is one of the most successful ways to shorten colds/ the flu. Taking one day off of work/ school when you have a cold is much better than taking a whole week off because you haven't rested enough and the cold becomes something worse. If you begin going to bed early when you feel the twinge of a cold/ flu coming on, and continue resting until it is gone, the virus will be much shorter than it would be if you didn't.
4. Eat healthy foods.
When you have the cold/ flu, your body desperately needs the nutrients more than ever to help fight off the virus. One of the best fruits to eat while sick is oranges, because of its natural surplus in vitamin C. Another helpful fruit to eat are bananas because of their high level of potassium. Also, the obvious chicken noodle soup is always helpful to have when you are sick. It is known that the steam breaks up congestion from colds and the flu, and the salt soothes tore throats.
5. Avoid excess exercise.
This task can be a hard one to follow for those of you who keep daily workout routines and one day off can put you off track. By putting your body under physical strain, it can weaken your immune system so it takes longer to fight off colds/ the flu. It is better to take it easy when you have mild symptoms, then it is to keep working out until you are out of commission for a longer time. You will be more grateful for taking that day off when you were feeling a little sick, then you would for having to take a week or more off because the virus became an infection.
