11 Best Tips to Help Prevent Winter Colds and Flu
Prepare for the defense!
The holiday season is here, which means Jack Frost is on the way with his ice slasher to make your bones chill and bombard you with colds and flu. After all, it is the cold season, and instead of using a flamethrower or rifles, your defensive weapons should be the stay-well preventive strategies. In fact, there are countless ways you can prevent winter colds and shorten their length. Here’s exactly what you can do to fight them off all season long. Go around with these 11 best tips to prevent cold and flu attacks.
11 Healthy Habits To Help Prevent Flu And Cold
1. Wash! Wash! Wash!
The first and best defense against germs is washing your hands. There is no enigma about how cold and flu spread. They spread throughout the air as invisible droplets. It is easy to pick up the virus from any surface. So, wash your hands frequently with soap and water or use alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds. In fact, good hand washing may be the single most effective way to reduce the spread of infections. Washing your hands frequently decreases your risk of respiratory illness by 20 percent.
2. Hold Back From Hordes
It might be difficult to enjoy the vacation without gatherings, but it is more important to prevent yourself from the spread of viruses. It is better to avoid close contact with the people affected by the cold. When you are affected by the flu, keep your distance from the groups.
3. Stay Home, Stay Safe
One of the best ways to prevent the spreading of the flu virus is to stay home when you are sick. It is better to avoid going to school or work, or other places while you are still contagious. Infections can spread easily when you are outdoors.
4. Don’t Touch Your Face
Surprisingly, On average, people touch their faces 23 times per hour. Rubbing the eyes, scratching the nose, or biting the fingernails is a route for influenza to travel into the body. It’s best to avoid touching the face with unclean hands. Try disinfecting your hands with hand sanitizer with 60 - 95 percent alcohol before touching your face.
5. Clean As A New Pin
Did you know that viruses can linger on inanimate objects for several days? Be careful when you touch things that are handled by many people. Clean and disinfect surfaces at your home and workplace once every few days. By doing so, you may cut down the germs hotspot. It is better to avoid antibacterial cleaning products frequently because they may contribute to antibiotic resistance. Don’t forget to wipe down your mobile phones.
6. Order A Shot
The number one thing you can do to forbid influenza is to get vaccinated. Viruses keep on mutating every season. It is good to get your vaccination done if you have a weakened immune system. Everyone older than 60 and less than 6 months should get a flu vaccine. Get advice from the doctor before getting your flu shot.
7. Hibernate For Health
A well-rested body is a warrior!
Getting enough sleep will not prevent exposure to germs and bacteria but will prepare your immune system to fight them off. A good snooze is one of the crucial steps for keeping the immune system healthy and strong. Skimming on sleep will make you more prone to get infected. One of the health benefits of the winter season is to make you sleep more quickly. Generally, good quality sleep depends on how much sleep you have per day. Seven to eight hours of sleep is recommended for adults.
8. Reinforce With Nutrition
The body’s defense cells require additional nutrition to fight the virus effectively. A well-balanced diet of vitamins and minerals not only promotes proper growth and development but also protects the immune system against a cold attack. Eating a wide variety of nutrients this winter will ensure that you are strong enough to fight it off. Adding vitamin C, vitamin D3, and zinc may support your immune system in fighting influenza. Not only vitamins but staying hydrated flushes away the toxins and keeps your defense system at hale.
9. Sweat Out A Cold
When the holiday strikes, your fitness routine may fall to the wayside, but it shouldn’t. Staying fit boosts your immunity and helps you to stay far away from the flu. Physical activity bolsters your white blood cells and stimulates them for the war. Exercising regularly may also clear away the bacteria from the lungs, which helps to reduce the risk of getting infected.
10. Bust Your Stress
Are you feeling like a bag of nerves? If you are already feeling the winter blues, it can actually pave the way for cold. Increased stress increases the level of your stress hormone, cortisol which ultimately weakens your germ-defense system. To have a spring in one’s step, try yoga, refill with meditation, massage therapy, or other pleasant activities to have a spring in one's step.
11. Wear The Mask
Wearing a face mask is one of the most effective ways to prevent infections like colds and flu. Typically viruses spread through the air after an uncovered sneeze or cough. Covering your mouth with a mask not only shields you but also protects others from spreading infections.
Self-defense is not only our right; it is our duty
Don’t freak out if you get sick. Getting affected by the common cold, flu, and other infections are usual during the depths of winter. Prevention is always the best medicine. Try these 11 cold and flu prevention strategies to stay healthy. Most people get better within seven to ten days; if it stretches for a longer time, it is better to consult a doctor.
