Since the cold season has decided to stick around, students touching doorknobs and sharing desks need to be prepared for a double dose of coughs and sniffles. Here are some tips about how you can keep the cold away and how to damage control when you wake up with a sore throat:
An ounce of prevention:
Rest is the only cure:
• Take care of yourself, mentally: If you actually relax for 30 min- utes a day you will have a better immune system. Playing Angry Birds doesn’t count. Being bored or distracted doesn’t have the same effect on the chemicals released by your body.
• Cut out the partying: Drinking and smoking stunt your immune system. It dehydrates the body and smoke can keep chemicals your body needs from circulating through your body.
• Don’t ‘use your hands’: Always have tissues on hand to sneeze into…not your hands. Even sneezing on to your inner elbow or your shirt is better than sneezing on your hands.
• Other do use their hands: so keep yours clean. You use them to touch everything, so wash them between classes.
• Don’t touch your face: The cold virus enters your body via mouth, eyes and nose. Don’t put your dirty hands on your face.
• Hit the gym: People practice cardiovascular activities have a healthier immune system, hands down.
• Drink fluids: except coffee, booze and caffeinated sodas. Dehydration can make a sore throat and congestion worse.
• Sweat it out: The shower or any humidity ridden place will give you a little cold peace. The cold virus actually thrives in dry conditions, according to the Center for Disease Control. A little hot air will also help you break up congestion.
• Spoon-full of salt: It can go a long way. Taking a baby bulb syringe, filling it with warm salt water and gently expressing it in your nose will break up mucus and give your nose a break. Gargling with warm salt water will help with throat congestion and irritation too.
• The cold is tough: So your body has to be tougher. Keep really rested so your body will be ready to waste its energy fending of the cold.
• Go blow yourself the right way: Always blow your nose instead of sucking mucus back in your body. But blow your nose gently… a rough nose blow can send germs into other areas, like your throat and ears.
• Elevate that head: Your nasal cavities will be less aggravated if you have them in an elevated position.
Courtesy of the CDC
