There’s nothing like coming to campus, looking forward to having fun with your friends, and next thing you know, you’re nearly coughing up a lung, and your roommate had to go out to buy you another box of tissues. It goes by many names: Freshman Flu, College Cough, Frat Flu, Dorm Disease. However you choose to refer to it, we can all agree that it sucks. A survey by Statista found that 34% of the college students surveyed reported being diagnosed with some cold/virus or other respiratory illness at school in the last year. As inevitable as it sounds that I will likely get sick at some point this quarter, I will not despair. Here is a list of techniques I plan on using to help prevent and recover from any symptoms I might experience this quarter:
- Take Shots
Shots, meaning vaccinations. Northwestern Medicine Immediate Care in downtown Evanston, Northwestern Medicine Student Health Service on Emerson Street, and pharmacies like CVS offer the flu and coronavirus vaccines for little to no charge. Look, I understand that shots can be annoying and scary, but getting sick can and will be a lot worse without having the proper vaccinations to support your recovery. I got my flu shot before coming to campus for free at Walgreens, and the appointment took no more than ten minutes. According to the CDC, in the 2019-2020 flu season, the flu vaccine prevented an estimated 7 million influenza illnesses, including 7,000 influenza-associated deaths.
- Hydrate
The body is roughly 60% water. When fighting off an infection or virus, the body uses more water than usual, requiring more water to circulate blood flow, breathe, digest, and even think, which can lead to dehydration. Plus, when you are dehydrated, symptoms of sickness are even worse. Seeing Stanley Cups and Owala Water Bottles trending on TikTok, I realized drinking water can be fun and personalized. I, personally, decorated my water bottle with cute and trendy stickers to make it more unique, and I get tons of compliments on it. Suffice it to say I will be taking my water bottle everywhere this quarter.
- Self Care
Taking care of yourself, including adequate sleep and exercise, boosts your immune system. College students need, on average, seven to nine hours of sleep nightly, which is difficult if you are one of the many students studying at 2 a.m. in Mudd Library. I find it is better to manage my time more efficiently so that I can return to my dorm earlier and catch some z’s. This, in return, helps fight off the viruses floating throughout campus. In addition, I try to eat nutritious meals and manage stress as much as possible to benefit my immune system.
- Keep an In-Dorm Medicine Cabinet
Being away from home, many students do not think to bring some of the everyday over-the-counter medications they would typically have at home. Now, having an entire pharmacy in a dorm room is excessive, but a small storage bin will do. For the sake of being a college student and lacking both space and money, I opted to buy smaller bottles and generic brands. Some things I stocked up on include cough drops, antacids, ibuprofen, acetaminophen, and day/night cold and flu medicine.
- Sharing is NOT Caring
With a roommate, it is especially complicated, yet important, to not share things if one person is sick. My roommate and I avoid sharing cups, utensils, towels, and other items that touch our face or hands in order to prevent getting each other sick. Especially at the gym, where there is lots of sweating and intense breathing, I usually use the wipes they provide to wipe down any equipment before and after I use them. At parties, for germ and just general safety reasons, I always grab a new cup, especially if someone drinks out of mine or I set it down.
- Maintain an (actually) Clean Room.
At least for me, my roommate and I have been putting off cleaning our room since the day we moved in. However, in my research, I found that if you feel sick, one of the first things people should do is disinfect and clean their room. So, if I get sick, I will wipe down knobs, desks, and other commonly used items. While at it, I’ll probably just vacuum and dust, too (even though this won’t necessarily prevent sickness, I’ve been putting it off since move-in). When I return to my room after classes, I am careful not to put my backpack or outside clothes on the bed. Taking a backpack everywhere (including the bathroom between classes) means there are loads of germs and bacteria on it that can transfer to a mattress.
- Wash your hands, and your sheets, and your towels, and your…
We’ve heard a thousand times that we should wash our hands, which is true! But more than hands, we should be washing sheets every two weeks (pillowcases should be washed more often than that), and towels every three uses. I always ensure the towels are fully dry before using them again, as they can accumulate mildew and other bacteria if left damp. Just like our backpacks, phones come with us everywhere, and studies show that most phones test positive for disease-causing bacteria. To clean my phone, I dampen a lint-free cloth with water and isopropyl alcohol. With the same solution, I wipe down keyboards, laptops, computer mice, and other electronic devices.
