As flu season is in full swing, we thought we might cover some of the ways that you might prevent the flu if you haven’t already caught it. This blog article is going to discuss 8 ways in which you might stay safe from the flu.
The difference between the flu and the cold
First off, what is the difference between the cold and the flu? The flu has many similar symptoms of the cold but it is much more severe. With a cold you might experience nasal congestion, cough, and aches. With the flu, you will experience these as well but you will also experience a high fever and body and muscle aches.
Here are 8 ways that will help you prevent the flu this season so that you might have a happy and healthy holiday season.
Check medicine cabinet
Nothing’s worse than waking up and realizing you’ve developed the flu then going to the medicine cabinet only to realize that the medicine to help you feel better is gone. At that point you’re either going to have to continue to suffer or you will have to trudge out into the world and purchase some more. Do yourself and your family a favour and check to see what you are missing and add it to your shopping list.
Stock up on supplies
Consider stocking up on everything you’ll need when you have the flu. The symptoms of the flu include congestion, cough, headaches, fever, and body and muscle aches. That means you’ll want to make sure that you have a cough and cold medicine. Tylenol® Complete Cold, Cough, and Flu is a good one to consider since it covers many of the symptoms of the flu. You can also get it in extra strength. You can also find other brands that will perform just as well. Benadryl® Cough Syrup is great for soothing a sore throat, especially right before bed. I also love to use Nyquil® as that will help you sleep well through the night.
Get Rest
Rest is essential for getting and staying healthy. Rest allows your body and immune system to stay strong so that it can fight flu viruses better. As we navigate flu season, you should make sure that you are getting enough sleep. If you have the flu you should definitely be getting a lot of rest and drinking a lot of fluids.
Sanitize around the house more
During the busy holiday season we sometimes run out of time to clean around the house. Shopping areas get busy and the roads are insane. Who wants to clean the house after you’ve worked all day and then fought a small battle? Well it’s important to do, especially since it is cold outside and the windows stay closed. Some important things to do to keep the house clean are to sanitize commonly touched surfaces. Do you have a garment steamer? They can double as a handy tool to sterilize surfaces. Check out this interesting blog to see what other things your garment steamer can do.
Prepare for sick days
Do you know what your current sick day policy is for work? It’s always good to know this so that you can follow it if the need ever arises. If you don’t have paid sick time you might have to consider taking unpaid time off. If this is the case, it’s a good practice to squirrel away money so that you won’t be hurting for cash when you get sick. Another way to prepare for getting sick is to stay stocked on easy to make food. You could prepare soups that you freeze so that when you are sick and do not feel like cooking you can pull out the soup and stick the ice block in a pot and just let it melt.
If you have children, make sure you have considered what you would do if them or yourself got sick. Do you have anyone readily available to watch them if you have to go to work and they have to stay home from school? If you’re too sick to get out of bed, is there a friend or neighbour that’s available to take them too school?
Get vaccinated
There are a good number of people that believe that the flu vaccine will make you sick. When you get the vaccine, your body takes about two weeks to develop antibodies.1 During this time, you can still catch the flu. There are many strains of the flu and your vaccine may only cover a handful of them. You can still get a strain that your body hasn’t prepared for.
Wash hands regularly
This is one of the best ways to minimize your chances of catching and spreading the flu. Sanitize or wash your hands often and make sure you are washing properly. You want to make sure you are using soap and scrubbing every nook and cranny – including nail beds. You should also apply hand sanitizer in this way. Part of the success in this process relies on avoiding touching your face.
Eat lots of fruits and veggies
A healthy diet is essential to avoiding the flu. You want to give your body the nutrients it needs to develop antibodies and white blood cells so that it can fight off foreign invaders.
By following this simple guide for fighting against the flu, you should be able to get through the holidays without any illness! Good luck!
Resources
1”Flu Myth: Can the Flu Shot Make You Sick?” Total Wellness. Dec 15, 2014. Web.