There are many beautiful things about winter, including binge-eating hot chocolates, skiing, and using the chilly weather as an excuse to remain indoors and cuddle up with a movie.
Yet, there are also a few bummers this cold season – tickly coughs, runny nose, and sneezing around every turn. Well, none of us have time for the flu! Use these easy precautions to prevent the flu for you and your family.
Get Enough Sleep
It’s not surprising that a lack of rest can increase your risk of the cold or flu virus.
While you sleep, your body releases cytokines, which are proteins that not only promote restful sleep but also prevent inflammation and infections. So, not getting enough sleep can lower your body's ability to produce these virus-fighting proteins, raising your chance of getting an illness.
The precise amount of hours needed for each person varies. Depending on various factors, including age, gender, activity level, health, sleep quality, and more. However, the ideal sleep for an adult is 7-9 hours.
Keep Your Hands Clean
Do you know that a door handle or a computer keyboard can carry the cold virus for days? Regular hand washing could help you avoid transferring germs from those things to your body.
Applying soap and water to your hands and thoroughly rubbing them for 20 seconds is the right way to wash them. After that, rinse your hands in running water and dry them with a fresh towel. If you’re not near a water source, you can use alcohol-based hand sanitizer for further protection.
Relieve Stress
Stress can weaken your immune system, and in turn, this increases your susceptibility to sickness.
Making time for stress-relieving activities like reading a book or listening to calming music is necessary.
We recommend to include these activities in your family's everyday routine. Make it a point to unwind every day by choosing things that your family likes to do, and you’re on your way for a healthier winter season.
Eat Clean
Our gut serves as a home for more than 70% of our immune system, do you know that? Your digestive tract, sometimes referred to as your gut, is home to billions of bacteria referred to as your microbiome. And the well-being of your microbiome is intimately connected to the rest of your body.
One explanation is that most of your immune system can be found in your gut, which is affected by every food you eat. Therefore, you have a far lower chance of getting sick when you eat clean and maintain an internal environment that supports a thriving microbiome.