As the temperatures drop and we are forced to spend more time indoors, closer to our neighbors, germs spread faster and faster. From experience, the next round of the cold or SLU FLU known on campus, is headed our way. These are some tips to try to keep your immune system up and prevent illness as the winter months settle in.
Keep your room clean – Germs can build up in your room as you close all the windows and cut off the fresh air. During the colder months of the year, keep your room clean by vacuuming, Lysol wiping surfaces, and cleaning your sheets. This not only will help keep those germs at bay, but also will help your stress levels to come back to a nice, clean room after a long day of classes and cold weather that chills you to the bone.
Wash your hands often – This is what you hear growing up every time you go to the doctors or visit the school nurse, but this advice could not be more applicable to dorm life on college campuses. Getting rid of all the germs you touch throughout the day is key to not coming down with a sickness.
Keep exercising – Exercise on a daily routine has been proven to help build up your immune system. It might be tempting to stay in bed and watch reruns of your favorite Netflix series, but get yourself moving and enjoy the nice crisp air around you.
Eat healthy – Diet is a very important thing during the winter months, as is it during summer months. We all have the urge to chow down on carbs, preparing us for the cold winter months, but keeping your healthy diet alive will help your immune system stay strong. Not to mention, it will keep you feeling healthy and cheery despite the dreariness that can come from winter.
Don’t share drinks with other people – On college campuses, this tip can be hard to avoid with the culture we live in. It’s important though when trying to avoid illness to keep your drink to yourself and avoid sharing other people’s.
Keep hydrating – It’s important keep hydrated to flush toxins out of your body. It can be difficult to keep pounding the water as the cold air sets in, but the benefits of it are worth it. To mix it up try some tea or electrolyte drinks, but be careful not to drink too much sugar in those drinks. Also one drink I swear by is Echinacea Plus tea whenever you start feeling symptoms of a cold, but also to drink daily as a promoter of your immune system.
Get your share of sleep – We all know that when you don’t catch enough hours of sleep, your body starts to wear down. When our bodies enter this stage of exhaustion, we are weakening our immune system and risking it to viruses and bacteria. So try your best to get at least eight hours of sleep a night so you don’t end up exposing yourself to the college cold.
Try supplements that promote the health of your immune system – In promoting your immune system health, taking natural supplements can help. From simply vitamin C and Emergen-c to elderberry supplements, they can help in preventing sickness. Another tip is to aid antibiotics with a probiotic if you find yourself being prescribed antibiotics. Antibiotics, while curing the problem at hand, can leave your immune system weaker than before. Probiotics can help keep it strong.
Dress appropriately – No matter what campus you are on, there will always be at least one person still wearing flip flops or shorts as the snow starts to fall or the temperatures start to dip below 30 degrees. Be smart and layer up for the cold weather settling in. It’s better to have layers and take them off, rather than not having layers and shivering all day long.
(Images: Pinterest, Amazon, CDC, Huffington Post)