Especially if you live in a dorm it feels like as soon as one person gets sick, everyone gets sick. And when you are as busy as you are in college the last thing you want is being sick to slow you down. So here as a few tips to help you to avoid getting sick in college.
Eating Healthy
Coming to college usually means a huge change in diet and with so many options it can be easy to make bad eating choices. This also means that you aren’t getting a lot of the nutrients and vitamins from fruits and vegetables that help strengthen your immune system. The saying an apple a day keeps the doctor away is a cliché for a reason. Just eating better and getting in your daily fruits and veggies can keep you feeling better and help you avoid that case of the sniffles.
Getting Enough Sleep
This is something that most college students very rarely do. While not getting enough shut eye for one night might not make that big of a noticeable difference, over time a consistent lack of sleep can have negative consequences on your immune system and lead to you getting sick more often. And this doesn’t just mean temporary diseases like the cold but also chronic diseases such and heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and can even increase your chances of having a heart attack of a stroke. So go get a couple extra hours of shut eye, it will do you more good than you know.
Don’t Stress
Most us accept stress as an unavoidable part of life, and while that is true to an extent it doesn’t mean that we can’t do our best to minimize stress in our everyday lives. There have been countless studies that show that having a lot of stress in your life can have a great number of negative health effects over time much like a lack of sleep. Being stressed hurts your immune system over time and can make you more vulnerable to getting sick. This can be avoided by taking time out of your day to relax or to just avoid things such as procrastination that you know will decrease stress in the future.
Keeping Up With Vaccinations
Going to the doctor and getting a shot is something very few of us don’t dread but vaccinations are recommended for a reason. Even though it might not exactly be a fun time, getting vaccinated now might save you a lot of misery in the future. Getting vaccinated not only protects you, but also prevents you from getting other people who aren’t vaccinated sick. Plus, a good number of vaccines are completely free and only require a couple of minutes to get. So go get that flu shot! It will be worth it when you aren’t sick in bed when you should be taking an important test.
