Winter signals snow, holidays, and fun times with family and friends. But it also signifies something a little darker: cold and flu season. Nobody likes being sick. In extreme cases, you can be knocked down for a week or longer. Even after you recover, you may still feel the effects through a sniffling or stuffy nose or a dry cough.
The best way to stay away from the worst of cold and flu season is to prevent yourself from getting sick completely. While it’s not always possible to remain perfectly healthy during this challenging season, you can employ a few tactics to lessen the spread to your household.
Best Practices to Protect Your Household This Season
Houses can be germ factories, especially if you have small children who are prone to touching everything. It’s crucial to keep your home a place of serenity, free of harmful bacteria or viruses that seek to interrupt your daily lives.
1. Start Probiotics
Probiotics are small supplements that help boost your immune response to a potentially harmful trigger bacteria or virus. All you need to do is take one or two with a meal once per day, and your body should respond to the extra support.
You don’t need a prescription to start taking probiotics — they’re just a small supplement you add to your diet. But they can make a world of difference when it comes to getting sick or staying healthy.
2. Get the Flu Shot
Getting the flu shot is the most effective way you can help prevent the flu from spreading. Everyone older than six months can be vaccinated against the latest and most prominent strain of the flu. Getting vaccinated is incredibly important for more susceptible people, like younger children and senior citizens.
You may feel flu-like symptoms after getting the shot, but that doesn’t mean you’re getting sick. It’s your insurance policy that the vaccine is doing its job and telling your immune system to respond in the right way.
3. Carry Hand Sanitizer
Do you know how many shared objects you touch in a day? You cannot ignore the likelihood that something you contact is covered in harmful germs, so it’s best to protect yourself when you’re out and about.
You should carry hand sanitizer with you so you can use it whenever you’ve had an encounter with something or someone you’re unfamiliar with.
4. Use the Right Tools
When you clean your home, do you use sanitizing or disinfecting wipes? They’re not the same, but both are helpful. While disinfecting wipes kill all the germs on a surface, sanitizing wipes take them down to an acceptable amount and are safe for skin. It’s up to you to decide what’s best for your home and in which rooms.
5. Wear a Mask
Face masks didn’t originate during the outbreak of COVID-19. Experts have been recommending masks to mitigate the spread of influenza for years. Flu particle transmission decreases when the infected person is wearing a mask.
If you’re showing signs of being sick, do your part to slow the spread and protect your loved ones by wearing a mask when you can. Wearing one while out and about might save those who have weaker immune systems.
6. Avoid Contact With Strangers
Since you don’t know where other people have been, it’s essential to keep yourself and your family safe. When cold and flu season is at its peak, only meet up with immediate family or close family and friends to better safeguard your household against illness.
7. Learn to Wash Your Hands Correctly
Don’t just rinse your hands and call it a day. Get familiar with the nooks and crannies of your palms and fingers. You can sing the alphabet to yourself a couple of times to give you an idea of the ideal handwashing time. Make sure you teach your children to wash their hands correctly, too!
8. Start Sleeping More
Sleep and healthy immune systems go hand in hand. With less sleep, your body releases fewer cytokines, which means your immune system will suffer as a result. Improved sleeping patterns have a world of benefits, but if you’re not interested in having more energy or being more productive, you should do it for the immunity boost.
9. Maintain Healthy Stress Levels
Your physical and mental health depend upon you having a healthy stress level. When you get too stressed out and don’t take care of yourself, your body weakens, becoming more susceptible to viruses.
Do something for yourself — treat yourself to a spa day, have a good workout, or go somewhere new with your family. Make sure you’re keeping an eye on your stress and eliminating the areas of your life that aren’t serving you.
10. Freeze out the Germs
If nothing else, you may consider doing a total refresh of your house. Instead of allowing the stagnant air to sit, open all doors and windows, tell your family to bundle up for the next hour, and just let fresh air flow through your home. This process can flush out any germs that may be lying dormant. The cool air may even boost your energy, too!
Keep Your Household Safe
While the responsibility of keeping everyone healthy shouldn’t fall on your shoulders, if you know the best practices to prevent illness from sweeping your household, you can educate others on how to keep themselves healthy.
As long as everyone looks out for one another, you’re sure to maintain a happy and bustling household this winter. Do what you can to protect yourself and others, both inside and outside the home.
