Welcome to the time of the year when the chances for you to get sick are the highest! Spending too much time inside, sharing space with a lot of people, weakened immunity, all of this can make you catch a virus and confine you to bed for days, even weeks in some cases. Here are some tips you should follow to ensure this doesn´t happen and leave you as healthy as ever.
1. Wash your hands regularly
This tip might sound silly but research has shown that a staggering 95% of people don´t wash their hands properly, indicating that they don´t take the importance of clean hands serious enough! Bad hand hygiene is the number 1 cause of most acute sicknesses, being the easiest way bacteria and virus are spread. So wash your hands frequently, for at least 20 seconds, and use a hand sanitizer during the day.
2. Sleep at least 7 hours a night
In today´s fast-paced world sleep deprivation has become a norm. No one is getting enough sleep and no one is seeing this as a warning sign. It is well known that not having enough sleep severely weakens the immunity, making the body much more susceptible to all kinds of diseases, especially the flu. So squeeze in an extra hour or two of sleep, if only during the flu epidemic season. It will save you the time you would otherwise spend sick in bed.
3. Keep a healthy diet and exercise
This is something that should be a part of your daily routine, regardless of the season. Health firstly comes from eating right and getting regular exercise. But during this highly infectious period, you can introduce more vitamin C and zinc into your diet, either through fruits and vegetables or through supplements, since these two will strengthen your defense mechanism.
4. Avoid crowds
During the winter months, people spend more time indoors and places become more crowded, in the public transportation for example. So try to avoid these places as much as you can during the flu season, especially people who you know are sick. If you can´t, you can get a protective mask, if you don´t feel silly wearing one in public.
5. Get a flu shot
In reality, no matter how much we try and follow all the rules – eat well, exercise, sleep, keep our hygiene etc., we are constantly in danger of catching something. Rarely will people stay at home when they get sick, having to keep their jobs. So most of the time we will find ourselves surrounded by viruses and bacteria. The only 100% proven way to avoid becoming infected is a flu shot. Getting vaccinated every year before the flu season is really the most secure way to prevent catching a virus and possibly developing some serious complications further on.
