It's that time of year that everyone is starting to get sick again. College is starting (or school in general) and clumping hundreds and thousands of people together is a flu waiting to happen. So everyone knows that pivotal moment when all of a sudden they feel a little run down, their nose starts running, and their throat is sore. This is when everyone's life changes. You go from a perfectly fine human being to one that is sick and basically wants to cry and sleep all day every day. These are some of the key signs that you should really focus on in order to help prevent yourself from getting much, much worse or even sick in general.
Follow these steps and hopefully, you can prevent the cold that I currently have because I was too lazy to take care of myself.
1. Drink water.
This sounds so stupid and so repetitive but DRINK WATER. I cannot stress this enough. Even if you think you are already drinking enough water, drink even more. You should be drinking a lot of water on a daily basis anyway, but if you're sick, then especially so. It helps to have a reusable water bottle so you can just keep refilling it up. Most people don't drink a lot of water when they're sick so this leads to dehydration and even more pain for your already sore throat.
2. Gargle salt-water.
This is an important step to do if you feel a sore throat coming on. Gargling warm water with salt will help keep the nasty bacteria at bay. Be careful not to put too much salt in your water, otherwise you'll just gag on it and throw up. Do this multiple times a day if possible, such as in the morning, a couple of times throughout the day, and before bed. But if you don't have enough time, definitely do it when you wake up in the morning and before bed at night.
3. Ginger shots!
I was definitely a skeptic about getting ginger shots at first but after using them a handful of times, I can attest to the fact that they work. I know some people make their ginger shots at home, I don't think the process is too difficult. But I am super lazy so I buy mine. I go to whole foods and buy their ginger shots which has cayenne, ginger (obviously), lemon juice, and maybe another ingredient or two. They are super simple and healthy ingredients to help boost your immune system. I have friends that take this even when they aren't sick just as an immune-booster!
4. Allergy medication.
That probably sounds like a weird suggestion, take allergy medication when you're sick with the cold, but actually, allergy medication is a great preemptive measure. More often than not, when you get sick, you start out with allergies. A sore throat here and a slightly runny nose there. When you feel a cold coming, try and take some allergy medication. I'm not saying that this will work 100% of the time but it could help! This trick is hit or miss for me. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.
5. Emergen-C!
Emergen-C is the holy grail. I hate the taste of it but I know it does the trick. And another alternative to Emergenc-C is Airborne! They are tablets or powder that you put into your water and you basically just dose your body with a lot of Vitamin C. When I feel myself getting sick, I chug these down. The other day, I went through three packs of Emergen-C before it was even two in the afternoon. They usually help me when I'm already kind of sick and want to get over it faster. However, these work super well just as an immune booster too!
So there you have it. I lived in a dorm my freshman year of college and was constantly getting sick. Tack on the fact that my immune system on its own is the worst, I'm always getting sick, at least once every month or every couple months. These tips help me beat my cold before it beats me!
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