It's officially that time of year. Everyone is either starting to get sick or just getting over being sick. Whether it's a cold or the flu, everyone is suffering. Why does everyone seem to be getting sick at the same time? Easy. It's that time of the semester where everyone is really stressed and just needing a break. Students are starting to think about finals, essays, group projects, and everything else they have to do before the semester ends. While this sounds 100% awful, there are things you can do to help you both prevent getting sick, and help you get better faster.

First, preventing it. The best way to get over a sickness, is to not get sick. This is easier said than done, and there is no way to ensure you won't get sick but there are precautions you can take. First, there's the flu shot. GET THE FLU SHOT. This may not eliminate your chances of getting the flu, but it does lower these chances (drastically). Second, Emergen-C is your friend. If you start feeling sick, drink Emergen-c. Even if you feel fine, but your friend is sick, DRINK EMERGEN-C! Trust me, the stuff actually works. And finally, get lot's of sleep. When we are tired, our immune systems are tired so it becomes easier for us to get sick. Now, I get that we are college kids and we need to do homework and study, but honestly, sleep is just as important. So, do these things and you may just survive the sickness season.

Now, curing it. You're already sick. You have a sore throat, a cough, a headache, chills, fatigue, and whatever else: now what? Now we fix it. Two things you can do to get better are also used to prevent sickness: Emergen-C and sleep. Both of these things can help you get healthier faster. These are two ways that don't require any medication if that's your thing. However, if you don't mind taking the meds, Dayquil, Dayquil Severe, and NyQuil are life savers. I have been sick for the past few days and have been taking NyQuil every night and Dayquil everyday. While these meds don't eliminate all my symptoms, they definitely help them a little. NyQuil helps me sleep like a rock (which is always beneficial and Dayquil helps me not hack up a lung in the middle of my biology exam.

Many people don't like taking all the meds so I will give you a few non-medicinal ways to cure the common cold. First, drink lots of water. This is a good way to "flush out" your system. Along with drinking water, drink any kind of juice. Orange juice is obviously going to bed the best considering how much vitamin C is in it but any juice will work. For example, I don't like orange juice all that much so I have been drinking a lot of apple juice and cranberry juice. Next, eat. While I know you are feeling sick and don't want to do anything, you need to make sure you are getting your nutrients so don't skip meals. You need to get SOMETHING in your system.

So, that's all I've got for you. If you need more ways to cure your cold, a google search is always an option. Now good luck, god speed, and stay healthy.