Living on a college campus is like spending 24 hours in a hospital after a flu outbreak. No matter the season, germs and illnesses fly around. Dodging these sicknesses can be more difficult than passing your exams.
Don’t be lazy and think you are incapable of getting sick. When living on campus you don’t have your mom to look after you. Instead, you have to go the extra mile to stay healthy. Washing your hands, always sanitizing, and hoping that people to cough into their elbows are not the only precautions you can take. Here is some advice that you wouldn’t expect could help prevent getting sick on your campus.
Sleep
Don’t forget to sleep. With school, sports, clubs, or jobs, your schedule can significantly reduce the amount of hours of rest you get. Sleep deprivation can affect your immune system and put you at greater risk of getting sick. Even if you are sick, sleep is a useful remedy for recovery. Although it’s tempting, try not to stay up watching Netflix until 1am if you can get to bed at 10pm. Take advantage of getting a good night’s sleep.
Diet
Exercise and eat healthy. Getting a great beach body isn’t the only positive to working out. Exercising can help prevent infections and colds due to strengthening the body’s immune system. Harmful microbes attack the immune system however working out can cause (good) inflammation that helps fight these microbes.
Eating healthy is obviously important for your body and a healthy food diet can protect you from viruses. Instead of sugary juice, drink milk. Milk is a rich source of Vitamin D and can help prevent winter colds. Protein, usually believed to only help athletes gain muscle, can create antibodies and fight sicknesses. Green vegetables (the darker the green the better) contain beta-carotene, which can help fight infections. Even if you already have a cold, eating citrus fruits, which supplies Vitamin C, can help get rid of the flu or cold. Eat using your brain, not only your stomach.
Wipe Down Your Phone
Your phone is dirty. Extremely dirty. Between holding it in your hands, laying it on filthy surfaces without even knowing, pressing it up against your face, and tossing it around to other people, it is a hotspot for germs. To prevent the bacteria of your phone from shooting into your immune system, take a few minutes to clean it. It’s as easy as using an antibacterial wipe to scrub germs off your case and phone. Little do we know that it’s the things we use every day that can give us that dreadful cold. Think a little more about how you’re handling your phone and the filth it actually contains.
Stay Away from Your Face
Keep your hands away from your face. A cold virus enters your system through the membranes of your eyes, nose and mouth. Throughout the day your hands inevitably touch campus/public property. This could be the desk you sit in, the door handles you grab, or the crosswalk button. We inevitably touch our faces all the time without even noticing, especially while sitting or dozing off in class. Touching these objects picks up germs and bacteria. Rubbing your eyes or nose will put these viruses directly into your system. Keeping your hands away from your face is just as important as washing your hands and can make all the difference.
