Cold & Flu Fighters
1. Wash your hands often.
Colds and the flu are spread via direct contact, either from person to person, or from person to object, so simply shaking hands with or touching the same phone as an infected person can unleash a virus fury. Your best defense: Washing your hands, and washing them often. Proof positive: “Operation Stop Cough” - a two-year study done at a naval training facility to limit the instances of respiratory illnesses - found that recruits who washed their hands five times a day saw their rates of illness cut almost in half.
2. Hit the hay.
As if you needed another reason to get enough sleep, here’s one more: Catching enough Zs is integral to your health, especially when you’re under the weather. “Your body doesn’t work as hard as it normally would when you’re run down,” says Linda Lafrance, a nurse practitioner from the South-East Ottawa Centre for a Healthy Community in Ottawa, ON. Her recommendation: Get as much as you can to get back on track, but aim for at least seven to eight hours a night.
3. Keep your hands away from your face.
Your eyes, nose and mouth are prime real estate for viral germs looking to pounce, so keep your hands (the part of your body most likely to come in contact with viruses) away from your face. If you must scratch your face, use your knuckle as it’s less likely to be infected than your fingertips.
4. Don’t smoke.
Yet another reason to quit: Research shows that smokers are more likely to get severe colds and to get them more often since lighting up destroys cilia - small hairs in the airways and lungs - that help the body fight off disease. Another down side to lighting up: Smokers take longer to recover from illnesses than their non-smoking counterparts.
5. Sneeze into your elbow, not your hand.
Most people know to cover their coughs or sneezes, but they’re using the wrong muffling tool, says Lafrance. “Coughing into your hands coats them with virus, which can then be transferred to people or everyday items like doorknobs, telephones and computer keys,” she says. To limit the transfer, keep tissues on hand (and throw them out right after use) or cough or sneeze into your sleeved elbow.
6. Keep hand sanitizer at the ready.
When a sink isn’t nearby, hand sanitizer gels or towelettes do the trick. A study of absent students in elementary schools found those classes using hand sanitizer had absence rates due to sickness that were 50 percent lower than in classes using hand-washing programs sans sanitizers. Keep sickness at bay by stashing a bottle in your purse, desk or car and use it often.
7. Drink water and eat well.
Keeping your body hydrated and well nourished is a year-round necessity to stay healthy and energized, but especially so around cold and flu season. Aim to drink plenty of fluids every day - water, tea and water-based soups are good choices - since all work to keep your nasal secretions loose. Load up on fruits and veggies with every meal. Also, limit the amount of junk food, sugar and alcohol you consume to strengthen your immune system, ward off sickness, and minimize extra weight.
8. Get fresh air.
When cold weather arrives, people are more likely to stay indoors, meaning germs - that thrive in warm, heated areas - float around crowded rooms with nowhere to go. To minimize your exposure time, go outside for a few minutes every two to three hours. It not only helps boost your immune system, cold air revitalizes your mind, too.
9. Destress and relax.
A 2002 study done in Wales found that participants who had a negative outlook on life were more susceptible to getting sick with colds or the flu when compared to those who had a positive view. The bottom line: think positive, relax more and stress less. Your immune system will thank you.
10. Get the flu shot.
Quite possibly the best preventative measure you can take, getting the shot protects you and your loved ones - especially at-risk children and seniors who could experience serious complications from the flu. Look for clinics between the months of September and November - typically the start of flu season - and expect your body to take up to two weeks to become fully immune.
