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Winter will soon be upon us, and unfortunately, with it comes more opportunities to be struck down with viruses that could lead to colds and the flu, especially if your friends, work colleagues, or even your family members are coughing, sneezing and wheezing, leaving you paranoid that you are going to be the next person to get sick, especially if you suffer from conditions that affect your immune system or are taking medications that suppress their immune systems to control conditions such as Lupus. Either way, do not worry. I’ve got you:
Five Illnesses Caused By Viruses
Discover these helpful tips on Keeping viruses at bay and staying healthy this winter, including the empowering practice of keeping a healthy lifestyle to boost your immune system.
Common Cold
Many viruses can be to blame for the common cold that infects the upper respiratory system (nose and throat). Cold symptoms often include nasal congestion, watery eyes, runny nose, sneezing, and coughing. Despite the claims of many over-the-counter cold remedies, there is no cure for a cold. You must let the virus run its course as our immune system does its job. However, you can help your symptoms by taking aspirin, resting as much as possible, and drinking lots of water. To reduce your chance of infection, practice good hygiene by washing your hands often and keeping your distance from people who are sick people.
Flu Influenza
The flu, or influenza, can be highly contagious with symptoms that vary but are often fever, body aches, fatigue, and sore throat. The flu can be transmitted through mucus droplets and saliva from someone infected, which makes washing your hands regularly especially important. You must also avoid touching your nose and mouth too often, and if you do, wash your hands afterwards to reduce your risk of getting the flu and avoid passing on any germs you may already have. You could also get a flu vaccination to protect yourself.
Norovirus
Norovirus is a highly contagious virus that can cause vomiting, diarrhoea, stomach cramps, and nausea. Yuck! It is often passed from person to person via contaminated food or after contact with particles of vomit and stool. Good food and hand hygiene are paramount to reducing your risk of norovirus infection.
Always wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water after going to the bathroom, changing diapers, or meeting any kind of human waste. Before you eat or prepare any food, make sure that any surfaces or utensils are clean in areas where you prepare food.
Bronchitis
Bronchitis is an inflammation of the bronchial tubes caused by viruses or bacteria; however, many cases are viral. Symptoms often include, but are not limited to, fevers, coughing, chest congestion, and wheezing. To reduce the risk of infection, try avoiding sick people and practising good hand hygiene.
Strep Throat
Strep throat by the Streptococcus bacteria is a bacterial infection and can be easily spread through an infected person’s saliva and mucus droplets, which again makes ensuring that you wash your hands often and keep your distance from people coughing or sneezing essential.
Symptoms can include sometimes swollen glands in the neck, headaches, sore throat, and fevers. If you think you may have strep throat, remember that seeking medical treatment as soon as possible is crucial. Your health is a priority.
You should also avoid sharing utensils and other personal items with people who could have strep throat. Of course, washing your hands often and avoiding close contact with those who are unwell are the best ways to stay healthy.
As the saying goes, prevention is better than cure. Good hand hygiene is a powerful tool in your arsenal, but there are many other ways to avoid a sore throat or runny nose.
Prevention Is Better Than Cure
Regularly Disinfect Your Work Area and Equipment
Use disinfectant wipes to keep yourself from getting sick at your desk. Regularly wipe down your work area, telephone, computer keyboard, and mouse with antibacterial wipes.
This is especially important if you work in an environment where you must share a workspace, hot desk, or coworking space. Unfortunately, offices are great places for germs to spread.
Drink Hot Water with Lemon
Drinking hot water with lemon is a great way to supercharge your immune system and metabolism. Hot water helps flush toxins out of your body, while lemons provide a rich source of vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant that supports immune function and helps fight off infections.
Eliminate Stress
Work environments can often be stressful, so taking a break occasionally by doing small breathing exercises away from your desk is essential to avoid becoming overwhelmed. In addition to breathing exercises, consider taking short walks, practising mindfulness, or engaging in a quick stretching routine to help reduce stress levels
Get Enough Vitamin D
Vitamin D is a crucial nutrient for immune health. Deficiencies can lead to symptoms like poor bone growth, cardiovascular problems, and a weak immune system, making it harder for your body to protect against colds, flu and other nasties.
This is especially important for those with dark skin as they don’t absorb vitamin D as easily from exposure to sunlight; hence, ensuring you step outside regularly to get sun exposure is paramount. Of course, that is harder during the winter months; however, foods like egg yolks, mushrooms, salmon, canned tuna, and beef are good sources of vitamin D. Plus, taking Vitamin D supplements that contain D3, which is excellent for raising your blood levels of vitamin D and can help keep to keep your body cold and flu-free.
Keep Stress To A Minimum
Stress can negatively impact your immune system and increase your chances of becoming ill. Even if no colds are going around in the office, you could still get sick based on how stressed you feel. This is why your breaks are essential, so make sure you use them to get away from your desk to help avoid becoming stressed.
Prioritize Sleep
While staying up all night may seem imperative when you need to hit that deadline, I cannot stress enough how important good sleep health is to your health and overall well-being. Good work management techniques, such as to-do lists, can help keep you on track so that work won’t affect your sleep.
Make Sure You Stay Hydrated
Having a water bottle beside you can help you stay aware of how much water you’re drinking at work. It is easy to get distracted by work and dehydrate, which is common in the office.
Trips to the water cooler will also afford you a few moments to get away from your desk, which can help reduce stress.
Move More
Keeping active by following a regular exercise routine like walking can do more for you than keeping you slim and trim. It can help your body fight inflammation and chronic disease and reduce stress. Stress-related hormones accelerate the circulation of white blood cells, which aid the body in the battle against the flu and the common cold.
Try To Avoid Drinking Alcohol
Although many of us probably enjoy indulging in a cheeky cocktail or a chilled pint of beer, drinking alcohol can damage your body’s dendritic cells, increasing your exposure to bacterial and viral infections over time.
Drink Green Tea
For good reason, green tea is widely associated with good health. Its high level of antioxidants can help lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Add More Greens To Your Plate
Do you avoid eating your fruits and vegetables at every meal? Adding extra veggies to your meals and snacking on delicious fruits will give your body a wide variety of helpful vitamins, such as vitamin C.
Make Good Hygiene A Priority
Avoiding germs is vital to limiting your exposure to illness. Therefore, you must always wash your hands thoroughly for at least 20 seconds and scrub under your fingernails before eating or preparing food, inserting contact lenses, or doing anything else with your eyes or mouth.
Think Of Others
Flu viruses can live on surfaces for up to 24 hours, which is plenty of time in the right conditions to infect an entire household.
To avoid sharing germs, always cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing.
Carry an alcohol-based hand cleaner for on-the-go use. Use it to disinfect shared surfaces like keyboards, telephones, doorknobs, and remote controls.
Be sure that utensils, drinking glasses, etc., are stored in places that cannot be contaminated, and wash any contaminated items—especially toys—in hot, soapy water before sharing them.
Your body works hard to keep you healthy and active, so it is up to you to take positive steps to help keep it in tip-top shape. Following these tips will make you more likely to avoid getting sick this winter.
Do you have any tips for avoid catching a virus and getting sick during the winter months or any home remedies for combating a virus?
If so, please share your tips and thoughts in the comments below.
We encourage you to share your tips and experiences with us and the community. Your insights are valuable and can help others stay virus free and healthy this winter.
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