That time of year is just around the corner – the cold and flu season. And if you’re like most people, you’ll do whatever it takes to avoid getting sick, especially when it could ruin your holiday travel plans. Luckily, there are a number of scientifically proven ways to help prevent us from getting sick and also prevent the spread. In the few paragraphs to follow, we will discuss a few ways to keep us feeling our best selves. Keep in mind that everyone is a little bit different, so what works for one person might not work for everyone. But these tips should help you keep you and your family feeling their best in the coming colder months. Let’s get started!
Cover Your Nose and Mouth
This is especially vital if you’re feeling at all under the weather. But we should always be covering our nose and mouth if we have to sneeze or cough. Influenza (much like Coronavirus and others) is primarily spread through respiratory droplets when we cough, sneeze or even talk. When we cover our faces, you’re helping to stop the spread right at its source. And when everyone participates in this preventative practice, you’re much less likely to get sick from riding the bus or an elevator, etc. In short, everyone should do their part!
Wash Your Hands Often
This should be done at least several times a day, especially if you’ve come into contact with someone who is sick. You should try your best to refrain from making contact with any part of your face as much as possible – especially your nose, mouth, and eyes. We touch so many surfaces throughout the day that are covered in bacteria and other germs. And if we’re not vigilant about washing our hands, we can easily transfer those germs to our faces where they can enter our bodies and make us sick. So, wash your hands often and avoid touching your face! Make sure to use clean, hot water, soap, and scrub thoroughly for at least 20 seconds. If you happen to be in a place where there’s no soap and water, try using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer (ethyl or isopropyl) if you’re in a pinch.
Get Your Flu Shot
This is one of the surest ways to prevent getting sick during cold and flu season – get a flu shot! It’s quick, it’s painless, covered by most insurance plans (free), and it can really help reduce your risk of getting sick. Unfortunately, only about 40% of adults (18-49) do this every year, but the CDC recommends that individuals over six months of age should get a flu shot annually. So, do yourself (and your loved ones) a favor and get vaccinated! This is especially vital when traveling and spending time with loved ones over the holidays. Most people over the age of 65 have much weaker immune systems, so we don’t want to burden them with our germs.
Stay Hydrated
Drinking adequate amounts of fluids helps to keep our bodies hydrated, which is important for so many bodily functions. It also helps to thin out mucus, making it easier for us to expel when we sneeze or cough. And speaking of mucus, it actually helps to trap viruses and bacteria, so it’s important to keep those secretions moving. Drinking an adequate amount of water (or other fluids like a sports drink) helps to do just that. If we ever, unfortunately, find ourselves getting sick, it’s still important to keep as hydrated as possible. This is because, with many illnesses, we lose fluid, so drinking lots of water helps to replenish the necessary fluids that we’ve already lost. In a nutshell, in times of sickness and health, stay hydrated at all times!
Get Plenty of Rest
This is one of the simplest but also one of the most significant things we can easily do for our bodies, yet it’s often one of the first things we sacrifice when we get busy. But when we don’t get enough sleep, our immune systems are weakened, making us more susceptible to getting sick. So, make sure to get those seven to eight hours of sleep each night if possible. And if you are starting to feel sick, it’s probably a good idea to just stay home in bed and rest. This will help you to feel better much faster and also prevent you from infecting others. So, if at all possible, take a little time off of work or school and recuperate. Your body (and everyone else) will thank you for it. When your doctor says, “get plenty of rest and plenty of fluids,” they mean it.
Try Taking Some Dietary Supplements
While it’s best to ingest your necessary vitamins and essential nutrients directly from food (the body’s preferred form), it’s not always practical. We all have busy personal, work, and family lives, so a well-balanced diet isn’t always in the cards for every single meal. Fortunately, there is a vast amount of dietary supplements available to us, and in a delicious gummy form! Gummy vitamins are extremely popular these days and for good reason. They taste great, and they’re chewable, so there’s no need to grab a glass of water and struggle to swallow a bunch of huge pills. Now, you can take your vitamins just like popping a piece of candy. It’s a tasty way for maintaining adequate vitamin D levels (or any vitamin, for that matter). Best of all, most gummy vitamins have a high customer average rating value, so you can rest assured you’re getting a quality product.
For a healthy immune response, we’d recommend elderberry, vitamin E, vitamin D3 1000 IU, and vitamin C gummies. All of these have their own benefits individually, but the one thing they have in common is supporting good immune health. A vitamin D supplement, for example, can help your body to absorb calcium and phosphorus, which are essential for immune system function and the development of bones and teeth. Try trusted names like Lunakai or Nature Made vitamin brands. Nature Made’s vitamin gummies are widely available.
The Bottom Line
There are a lot of different ways to help prevent getting sick, but the most important strategies are to practice good hygiene, get vaccinated, stay hydrated, and get plenty of rest. You should also try to eat a well-balanced diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables. And if that’s not always possible, consider taking some dietary supplements in the form of delicious gummies! By following these simple tips, you can help keep yourself (and your loved ones) healthy and happy all year round.