It’s around that time of the season when the weather is up and down and it seems like everyone is getting sick. One day it’s 60 degrees and sunny, and the next it’s 35 and snowing. It isn’t fun to have to adjust to these fluctuating temperatures, and a lot of times our immune systems don’t do too well with it either. Of course you can take preventative measures such as washing your hands frequently, getting the flu shot, and steering clear of people who are sick, but that doesn’t help once you catch a cold. I recently was a little sick, which fortunately rarely happens to me, and the tips listed below are how I got over it as quickly as I could.
- Vitamin C
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One very important way to kick your cold is by incorportaing a lot of Vitamin C into your diet. You can find Vitamin C in tablet form and a huge variety of foods such as oranges, strawberries, pineapples, bell peppers, broccoli, tomates, and kale. It’s also easy to find it in drinks like Vitamin Water, which is what I had.
- Plenty of Water
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This one should be a no-brainer, but it’s still really important. Your body always needs to stay hydrated, especially when you’re sick. While the recommended amount of water you should drink a day is about eight glasses, I usually just drink as much of it as I can. I find carrying around a big refillable water bottle is very useful and helps remind me to drink water.
- Advil (or any pain reliever/fever reducer)
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My cold made me have headaches and general bodily aching. I didn’t want it to get worse and I wanted to make sure I was taking some over-the-counter medicine specific to reducing fevers, just in case I had a fever and didn’t know. Taking Advil definitely helped me feel better overall within a few days.
- Nasal Decongestant
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My cold also gave me the sniffles and some nasal congestion, and taking these as well as the Advil helped a lot. One of the worst parts of a cold in my opinion is the stuffy nose and not being able to breathe well. I’m glad I was able to skip that torture by taking the nasal decongestant.
- Lots of Sleep!
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Another pretty obvious one, but it’s often so overlooked. Your body’s immune system works a lot better to kick your sickness when you give yourself enough rest, so put down your phone or your work and go to sleep early. Also to go along with this tip, don’t overwork yourself. It isn’t the end of the world if you have to call in sick at work or skip a class, because our health always comes first.