Flu season is upon us!
When the temperature starts to drop and the air begins drying out, that nasty bug we all know and hate makes its appearance. We’re all staying inside more, getting less sunlight, and at a higher risk of catching the flu than when it’s warm and sunny.
Now’s the time to put up a fight.
Don’t let the season get the best of you. Prepare yourself instead with these 5 smart ways you can fight the flu this winter.
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1. Get Your Flu Shot
One of the best preventative measures against the flu is getting vaccinated.
Every year around September your doctor will probably mention getting your flu shot. That’s because we’re heading right into flu season and you want to be protected.
And yes, you should be getting your flu shot every year.
The flu is a clever virus that changes year in and year out to find ways to infect people. Getting a new flu shot every year is necessary to keep you at your healthiest.
If you truly want the best chance at winning this fight, you’ll get your flu shot before winter has even begun.
2. Wash Your Hands
Good hygiene is essential to preventing illnesses of all kinds.
You’ve probably been hearing it a lot lately, but you can never have too many reminders to keep your hands clean. Even in the winter, you’ll be out and about, touching all kinds of things that other people touch.
It only takes 20 seconds to wash your hands.
The most important times to wash your hands are after you use the bathroom, before you make food, and before you eat. However, during flu season it’s a good practice to wash or sanitize your hands as often as possible.
Even if you spend the majority of your time inside your home, keep your hands nice and clean to keep the flu away.
3. Stay Nice and Warm
The cold temperatures aren’t really what make you get sick, it’s the virus that does it, but the cold certainly contributes to the spread.
Some evidence has been seen pointing to the idea that the flu virus moves much easier when the temperature and humidity are low. There is still a lot more research to do on the subject but better safe than sorry.
Keep your house warm and invest in a good humidifier to run off the dry air.
If anything, should you actually come down with the flu sometime during the winter, that humidifier is going to really come in handy. Here’s hoping it doesn’t come to that and you’re able to scare it away with these tips!
4. Keep Your Distance from Sick People
Getting around someone that has the flu is a sure way to contract it yourself.
The flu virus travels through the air. Any little cough or sneeze puts you at risk of getting it just the same. Through the winter, keep a close eye out for anyone that even looks sick and stay away.
It’s better to be overly cautious than to risk getting sick.
If, for some reason, you have to be around someone that has the flu, take precautions.
Maybe your child, spouse, roommate, or parent is sick and you have no way of avoiding contact. Stay out of the way of coughs and sneezes, wash your hands frequently, and avoid touching your face as much as possible.
5. Stay Home When You’re Sick
So, you got the flu.
Sometimes, it just happens. You can still be part of fighting the virus for other people by keeping yourself at home and in bed until you’re all better.
The last thing you need to do is go out and spread it around some more.
Most people will understand why you need to stay at home. Call into work, get excused from school, and cancel your plans for the next few weeks. You’re doing everyone a favor by waiting it out.
If you have to go out, cover your coughs and sneezes, keep your hands clean, and wear a mask to avoid infecting others.
In Conclusion
The flu is always around but it’s never stronger than when winter starts and forces us all to huddle up inside.
There’s little we can do to change the weather, so we all have to ward it off in other ways.
These 5 ways to fight the flu are steps everyone should take as we come up to flu season. They don’t 100% guarantee you won’t get sick but they give you a better chance of avoiding it for another year.
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