It’s that time of year again, cold season. All that sniffling, coughing, and sneezing, during class can definitely get annoying and get in the way of your weekly schedule. So why not take care of it and get rid of it faster than ever? Here’s how.
1. As soon as you feel symptoms coming on, grab your water bottle. Staying hydrated can help cut down symptoms quickly.
2. When your throat is hurting, gargle some salt water. The added salt helps to draw out the extra water in your tissues causing the inflammation. Just add a teaspoon of salt to warm water in a glass, gargle for about ten seconds and spit it out.
3. If you’re feeling a lot of sinus pressure, heat is the best attack plan. Take a seat in your bathroom, blast the hot water in your shower and inhale the steam. Drinking some hot tea and applying a hot washcloth on your cheeks will help loosen up the mucus as well.
4. Skip the cough medicine. To help with a cough use honey instead of medicine. Stir it into tea or have one to two tablespoons as is.
5. Get your beauty sleep! Sleep is very important when you have a cold, and chances are you feel sleepy when you’re sick anyway because of immune system chemicals. Hey, look at it as an excuse to sleep all day.
6. Moderate activity is okay. Stay away from intense workouts at the gym, where germs are plentiful, and stick to light jog or walk for 30 minutes. This moderate amount of activity can actually help boost your immune function.
7. Don’t chow down so often. Stick to eating lightly and healthy, your body tends to conserve more energy in order to fight off a cold. Try and stick to eating protein and antioxidant- rich vegetables. Remember to drink plenty of fluids in order to thin the mucus and keep you hydrated.
8. Sit back and relax. It’s okay to relax sometimes, even during your busy schedule. Relaxing and resting will help fight the cold faster. The first few days are when you are most contagious so cuddle up in bed with Netflix and call it a day.