Tips for Coping with Cold and Flu Season

My friend Josie asked me what tips I had for cold and flu season.  In particular, her niece and nephew continue to bring home various coughs and sniffles from nursery school, and she wanted some ideas to try to avoid catching every new cold and flu that was circulating. Also, when they did have a cold, what kinds of home remedies were helpful.  Here’s what we discussed:

–Get lots of sleep — in my opinion, the number one contributor to low immunity is lack of sleep.  In this day and age when it’s easy to stay up really late watching TV or surfing the internet, quality sleep suffers.

–Wash hands frequently – this really does make a difference.  If you know  you will be in a large crowd (like a conference) or an airport, bring hand sanitizer that has a sufficiently high percentage of alcohol.

–Be sure nutrition is optimal — most people think of vitamin C when they think of cold prevention; in addition, having adequate vitamin D and zinc are good for optimal immune function.

–Get reasonable exercise — exercise is good for overall health and wellbeing and helps to strengthen the immune system; however too much exercise weakens the system as the body is busy recovering from exercise.  If you are spending hour after hour on the treadmill, shifting to briefer, more focused exercise may be helpful.

–If you (or your child) does get sick – try to rest as much as possible.  Many non-prescription items, like a neti-pot for congestion, over the counter medications, and chicken soup can help make the symptoms seem less bad, and promote more rest and a quicker recovery.

I’d love to her your suggestions for coping with cold season.

Shared at Works for Me Wednesday