Although the flu certainly isn’t the worst illness you can be exposed to, getting it can leave you sidelined for a week or more. Fortunately, there are several things that you can do to avoid the aches, fever, chills, and other symptoms of this all-too-common illness. Read on to discover four simple strategies for staying healthy this flu season.
1. Keep Your Immune System Up
One of the best ways to avoid getting the flu is by beefing up your immune system. When this system is working like it should, your body has the best ability to protect itself against any germs that you come in contact with. Stay hydrated, eat healthy, nutrient-dense foods, and be sure to get plenty of rest. Insufficient and poor-quality sleep are two things that are virtually guaranteed to diminish the overall effectiveness of your immune system.
2. Wash Your Hands Often And Avoid Close Physical Contact
Germs are transferred by touching others and by touching germ-ridden surfaces. During the flu season, it’s best to avoid large crowds and unnecessary physical contact. Nod, wave, or tap elbows when greeting people rather than kissing their cheeks, hugging them, or shaking their hands. After you use the bathroom, touch doorknobs, or handle any shared items or common surfaces, be sure to wash your hands with soap and water. If soap and water are not available to you, use a small amount of alcohol-based hand sanitizer instead.
3. Keep Your Hands Away From Your Nose, Mouth And Eyes
In-between hand-washes, be sure to keep your hands away from your nose, mouth and eyes. If you’ve got germs on your hands, touching any of these orifices is almost a sure way to develop an illness. These are access points to the interior of the body through which harmful, invading organisms can get in.
4. Stay Home When You Feel Unwell
Staying home when you feel unwell during flu season can be helpful in a variety of ways. To start, this will ensure that you aren’t potentially passing the flu virus around to others while at work or school. Moreover, if your body is currently battling another problem, you won’t be at elevated risk of catching the flu while your immune system is already being challenged.
While the flu is often written off as a minor illness, it can be deadly for the very young, the very old, and those with already compromised immune systems. These and other factors can make some individuals more prone to developing secondary infections like pneumonia. When you catch the flu, staying on top of your personal and professional responsibilities can be virtually impossible. With the strategies above, you can keep yourself well and avoid passing on harmful germs to those around you.
Author Bio: Shalu Chawla is a trained Quality Assurance professional and Business Analyst who writes her experiences with the sole purpose of sharing information from her knowledge or by referring to other good sites. You can know more about her by clicking on www.shaluchawla.com or www.shalu-chawla.com. You can also visit me in my other website on wellness by clicking on https://shalu-chawla.org/ if interested in meditation or https://shalu-chawla.net/ if interested in travel topics.