The fall season is known for bringing pleasant weather, but it also marks the beginning of flu season. Flu season typically starts around October and peaks between December and February. If you’ve ever had the flu before, you know it’s not a fun experience. If you want to learn how to stay healthy during flu season, follow these health tips to avoid getting sick.
1. Wash Your Hands Often
If you’re wondering how to stay healthy during flu season, an easy and effective place to start is washing your hands often. It’s always important to wash your hands any time of the year, but it becomes even more important when trying to avoid the flu. Wash your hands as much as you can, especially after you have been in contact with people who may be sick. To ensure maximum effectiveness, scrub your hands with soap for at least 20 seconds and make sure you get your palms, backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails.
2. Avoid Contact with Sick People
One of the best ways to stay healthy during flu season is avoiding close contact with anyone who is sick or exhibits flu symptoms. Flu symptoms can include fever, chills, headache, body or muscle aches, sore throat, cough, runny or stuffy nose, fatigue, and even vomiting or diarrhea. If someone is experiencing any of these symptoms, it’s best to avoid being around them if possible. If you do need to be around someone who is sick, make sure you wash your hands and sanitize any surfaces they may have touched.
3. Don’t Touch Your Face
Another great tip when learning how to stay healthy during flu season is to avoid touching your face. Your eyes, nose, and mouth are common entry points for germs like the flu virus to get into your body and make you sick. You should try to avoid touching these parts of your face, even if you are frequently washing your hands. You never know when you may have come into contact with a surface that a sick person has recently touched.
4. Disinfect Surfaces Regularly
To avoid getting sick during flu season, you should regularly clean and disinfect surfaces. Viruses and germs can survive on hard surfaces like counters, electronics, trays, thermometers, and others. It’s important to use a germ-killing cleaner or sanitizer to wipe these surfaces down to avoid the spread of germs. Even though soft surfaces like clothing and stuffed animals are less likely to spread germs, you should still wash these items after they have been in contact with a sick person as an extra precaution.
5. Get Plenty of Sleep
Getting enough sleep is important for many aspects of your health, including your immune system. If you are wondering how to stay healthy during flu season, a great way is by getting plenty of sleep to keep your immune system strong. Research has shown that individuals who get less than seven hours of sleep each night are up to three times more likely to catch colds or flu. If you do get exposed to the flu virus, you want your body to be able to fight it off, so make sure you’re getting enough sleep to boost your immune system.
6. Drink Lots of Water
Drinking plenty of water is another great way to boost your immune system so your body can stay healthy during flu season. Water helps your body perform many key functions, including fighting illness. Staying hydrated helps the mucus membrane in your nose trap germs as well as enables your white blood cells to get where they need to go to attack invading viruses, both of which can help you avoid getting sick from the flu.
7. Get a Flu Shot
One of the best ways to stay healthy during flu season is getting a flu shot. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that everyone over the age of 6 months who is medically able should get a flu shot each year. This vaccine helps protect your body against the flu by encouraging the production of antibodies that will then recognize and fight the flu virus if it enters your body. For maximum protection, you should get a flu shot at the beginning of flu season before people around you start getting sick.
Get Expert Advice on How to Stay Healthy During Flu Season
These are some of the best tips to help you avoid catching the flu. If you want more advice on how to stay healthy during flu season, our expert staff can recommend nutritional supplements and immune therapies to help you maintain optimal health. Schedule an appointment today to learn how to achieve lasting health!