With fall finally arriving, the drop in temperature is sure to have some effect on your body. Everyone is bound to catch a cold every once in awhile. However, there are some ways to stop the spread of germs before they actually reach you. From preventing the common cold to all around maintaining a healthy body and mind, it is important to keep up with the following strategies.
When out in public, objects such as doorknobs or handrails can contain hundreds of thousands of germs. Avoid touching these directly with your hands. You may accidentally then touch your eyes, mouth or nose which is very unsanitary and is the one of the main reasons you caught the flu. Always be sure to wash your hands not just after the bathroom, but also throughout your day. Be careful sharing drinks, food and even make up with other people. This can also transfer germs to one person to another.
It is also important to clean and disinfect your living conditions, work space and gym equipment regularly. Cleaning your sheets and pillow cases every two weeks will help prevent you from breathing in dirty air and also prevent breakouts. When in the office, be careful of touching elevator buttons, keyboards and copy machines. It’s helpful to keep wet wipes and hand sanitizer around at all times. The gym can be full of bacteria and sweat. Most gyms provide sanitary naps you can use to wipe down a machine after using it, but it is never a bad idea to bring your own. Also, instead of using the community workout mats, bring your own or lay a towel down before using one.
Keeping up with your Vitamin C intake will help protect your immune system. Daily vitamin C supplements are an easy way to boost your nutrients. Another simple way you can get your vitamins and minerals is by drinking juice. Fruits and vegetables are a key ingredient in a healthy diet. Also, make sure you are drinking plenty of water throughout the day. Water flushes out the bad toxins in your body and keeps your insides flowing nice and healthy.
Once you start feeling that itchy throat or stuffy nose coming along, one thing that can prevent it from getting worse is drinking tea. Tea not only can soothe your throat, but it creates movement in the hair follicles of the nose, thus preventing a stuffed up nose. Also, the antioxidants in tea help protect against many illnesses such as certain types of cancer, type two diabetes, and Parkinson's disease. Tea keeps your body hydrated and is found to improve bone strength.
Getting enough sleep is a very important aspect to keep you body healthy. Getting 7-8 hours of sleep a night can help improve your mental health as well as your physical health. When sleeping, your body releases proteins that help fight off infectious diseases. Therefore, you can see how not getting enough sleep can cause you to become sick. Insomnia can also boost your blood pressure, making your risk of a heart attack or stroke more likely.
Thinking back to your childhood, your mother probably never let you out of the house without a jacket on. Even though going outside bare doesn't necessarily cause sickness, if you are already sick it enables the virus to grow. This is because exposure to cold temperatures can cause blood vessels to slow down, thus not giving your body the proper blood flow. Therefore if you are sick it is important to stay bundled up when going outside.
Taking these precautions before the spreading starts is sure to lower your risk of catching the flu this season. No one enjoys having the hassle of calling out of work or missing a class, so make sure you stay healthy and stop your cold before it starts.
