Four Tips to Beat the Cold Season at School and Work

Posted on Tuesday, January 31st, 2017

As you’ve probably noticed, it’s cold season in Canada. It seems like everyone you know is coughing and sniffling, and the last thing you have time for is catching their cold. A cold can knock you out for days, and that means falling behind on a lot of work. Most adults catch two to four colds a year, and that means a lot of missed work or school.

So how do you avoid getting sick when you’re totally surrounded in the office or at school?

Here are some real, practical ways to stop the germs.

 

1. Make sure you sleep enough.

If you’re not sleeping, your immune system isn’t happy. Studies show that as you sleep, your body releases the proteins that you need to recover from illness. Missing out on sleep makes your body weaker and prone to picking up viruses.

And, as you probably know, sleep has a ton of other benefits. In addition to keeping you healthy and alert, sleep affects your levels of depression and anxiety. Winter in Ottawa can be depressing enough—don’t make it worse by not sleeping.

Get your eight hours a night and chances are you’ll have a way better time avoiding that bug that’s going around.

 

2. Please, please, please wash your hands.

You already know you need to wash your hands a lot. But seriously, real talk: your hands are gross. When you work and study in a public building, there are germs hanging out on all kinds of surfaces. You can’t avoid them completely, but frequent handwashing is going to seriously reduce how many of them you’re personally carrying around.

So wash your hands. A lot.

3. Clean your gross phone.

We wish this wasn’t true, but seriously: your phone is dirtier than a public toilet. That’s horrifying. If you don’t want to get sick, you have to clean it (and no, a quick swipe on your jeans isn’t good enough).

To clean it properly (and without breaking it/voiding your warranty), you’re going to need a microfiber cloth, cotton swabs, some water (preferably distilled so it doesn’t leave any weird residue), and rubbing alcohol. Pop out the battery, peel off the screen protector, and get to work.

That should help knock out some of the 25,000 germs per square inch currently residing on your phone.

 

4. Be nice to yourself.

Follow all the rules and get sick anyway? It happens. If you do get sick, there are some things you can do to help speed up your recovery.

First of all, chicken soup really does help. Warm liquids help you breathe easier, and soup will keep you from getting dehydrated (staying hydrated is super important if you’re fighting a cold). Toss some veggies into that soup and give your body the vitamins it needs to kill the virus.

If you’ve got a sore throat, you can gargle with salt water. It tastes gross but totally helps. You can also eat ice chips for quick, temporary relief. A humidifier can also help add moisture to the air, meaning you breathe easier.

Finally, back to our first point: get some rest. Taking a nap and going to bed early will give your body the energy it needs to fight the cold. You’ll be back on your feet in no time.

 


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