If you’ve walked at least 3 feet out of your room this past week, chances are you’ve heard someone sniffling, sneezing, or just outright coughing up a lung. Or, if you’re like me, you are one of those people doing all three. It’s pretty standard this time of year- that few weeks between Rites of Spring and finals. It may seem like some random thing, but there are actually some pretty solid reasons it happens when it does.
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Rites
Believe it or not, day drinking and staying out late aren’t actually the best things for your immune system. Wild, right? As fun as it is, participating in Rites weekend festivities can actually make you more prone to being sick, because you’re really not taking care of yourself as much as you should be. If you’re trying to avoid being sick next time Rites rolls around, make sure you stay as hydrated as possible, and get as much rest as you can. Instead of hitting that last frat Saturday night, spend that hour catching up on sleep. Also, eating junk food the entire weekend doesn’t help, so maybe swap the Domino’s cheesy bread for something with nutritional value (@me).
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Just being at a college
Let’s be real, we essentially live in a huge petri dish for the common cold. Between dorms and classrooms, it’s honestly a wonder that Rhodes hasn’t been the epicenter of some major statewide outbreak. So while it can be harder here to avoid getting sick, you can take some extra steps. If you see your roommate or friend starting to sniffle, invest in some vitamin C supplement (Airborne makes fruit gummies that are essentially candy, and you take three a day so major win there). Also, please just wash your hands, and cover your mouth when you cough. I didn’t think I would have to say this, but the past few days have proved me wrong. I never want to go near the cookies in the Rat ever again, and I never thought I’d say that. Plz just do it.
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Memphis Pollen
According to WebMD, Memphis is the 2nd worst city in the country for allerigies (http://www.webmd.com/allergies/ss/slideshow-worst-cities-for-spring-allergies). Basically, if you’re sensitive to pollen, you’ve hit the jackpot coming to Rhodes, a college literally famous for its trees. So, if you’re stuffy or sniffly, it may actually just be allergies. Sadly, there is no cure for allergies except waiting. Just be grateful we live in a time where Claritin exists.