How to prevent a cold this winter

As the temperature drops and the days get shorter, people become more prone to sickness. The slightest sound of a sniff or a dry cough can be enough to turn your friends, colleagues or family into public enemy number one. Don’t get too close to them or you’ll breathe in their disease ridden germs and you could be out for weeks!

So how can you avoid this dreaded time of year without avoiding all people?

Professor of Medicine at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, E.Neil Schachter and Bill Hanage, an associate professor of epidemiology at Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health have shared some great advice...

Be like Lady Macbeth and wash your hands

That simple, plus it works. Soap and water will remove dirt and bacteria while hand-sanitizer will kill off viruses. Keep hand-sanitizer handy and wash your hands before and after you eat and throughout the day.

Sleep

Sleeping boosts your immunity. If you get seven hours plus of sleep per night, you decrease your risk of catching a cold. So sleep in a little bit longer than usual this winter.

Exercise

Exercise can help, just don’t over do it. HIIT can actually make you more susceptible to infections (possibly caused by irritated airways) so skip your crossfit trainings and opt for regular, moderate exercise. This reduces the risk of respiratory infections.

Take your vitamins!

Dose up on vitamin A - there’s good evidence that a moderate dose of vitamin A canmake a difference. Either take a supplement or indulge in potatoes, carrots and leafy greens. Zinc can also help but don’t take too much, talk to your doctor first.

If these tips don’t work and you still get a cold….

Take plenty of vitamin C - it can shorten colds, and as it works as an antihistamine it can potentially reduce symptoms. But the best thing? Lots of sleep and drink plenty of fluids!

Unfortunately, Netflix binges haven't yet been proved to cure colds but we can't see why they'd be a bad thing…