Best Ways To Prepare Yourself for Cold and Flu Season

When summer ends and the cooler months take over, stuffy noses and fevers follow shortly thereafter. It’s impossible to avoid it completely, but if you prepare yourself for cold and flu season before it strikes, you might find yourself getting sick less often. Here are some things you can do to help decrease your chances of catching something or lessen the number of days spent in bed trying to get over an illness.

Stock the Medicine Cabinet

Have you ever had one of those nights when someone in the home suddenly gets a fever, or they are so stuffy they can’t sleep, and your medicine cabinet offers nothing to provide relief? Stock your medicine cabinet now so you can avoid a run to the pharmacy when you’re exhausted or sick yourself. Here’s a list of helpful supplies to keep in your medicine cabinet during cold and flu season:

• Fever and pain relief

• Decongestants and antihistamines

• Cough relief medicine

• Throat lozenges

Make sure you have the right medications for the different age groups in the house to ensure everyone is covered.

Keep the Air Clean

With all the germs floating around, it’s a good idea to make the air in your home as clean as possible. You can do this by dusting and vacuuming regularly so dust particles don’t fly around as easily and irritate throats.

In addition, consider using an air purifier, especially in the bedroom. When choosing a device, keep in mind that there are different types of filters that go along with them. There are notable differences between a HEPA filter and a carbon filter, although those are the two you’ll see most often. HEPA filters are a great option for cold and flu season because they filter out smaller particles, including some viruses.

Wash Your Hands

Hand washing is of the utmost importance for keeping germs from entering your body. Wash your hands when out in public and after touching things, and scrub them at home when the thought crosses your mind. Germs are everywhere and on every surface, and cleaning your hands gives them less chance of making you sick.

Disinfect the House

Bleach and other disinfectants are your best friends when preparing for cold and flu season. Once a week, after your regular cleaning, wipe down counters and other high-contact surfaces with a disinfectant spray, wipes, or diluted bleach (1 cup bleach to 1 gallon water). Some areas that benefit from routine disinfecting include:

• Kitchen table

• Kitchen and bathroom counters

• Dressers and nightstands

• Coffee table

• Desk

You can also disinfect your floors by mopping them with a splash of disinfectant mixed with a bucket of warm water.

Eat Well and Get Plenty of Rest

You can keep a clean house and wash your hands all you want, but if you are eating lots of junk food and running yourself ragged, you are still likely to get sick. To help prevent illness, go to bed at a decent time every night and try to get at least eight hours of sleep.

Also, do your best to eat more fruits and veggies and try to cook at home rather than going out to eat. Even when you cook something simple at home, it’s likely to be healthier than what you will eat if you hit a drive-through for dinner.

Put these ideas into practice, and you’ll have a fighting chance of winning the battle against cold and flu season this year.