It’s nearly winter. Again. For approximately 20 years, adults have been advising you on how to stay healthy sick
during this frigid season. They remind you to wash your hands, get 8 hours of sleep, and drink lots of orange juice. But if you’re a hygienic, sleep-deprived college student with acid-reflux, those tips probably aren’t going to help you much. So here’s a list of other easy things you can do to prevent yourself from getting SARS or bird-flu or whatever the epidemic is this year.
Stay hydrated. You’d be surprised how big of a difference water makes. Not only does water help your body stay strong so it can fend off disease, but staying hydrated will actually cure some of those mid-day winter blues! So when you’re ready to yell at your roommate at 4:30pm, stop and have a drink of water. You might be dehydrated and not know it.
Reduce stress. I know it’s tempting to triple major, double minor, work part-time, and head 15 clubs all at once. But your busy schedule causes your body more stress than you realize. During these tough winter months it can be good to drop an activity or two to give yourself time to unwind and rest.
Dress warm. Cold air in itself won’t make you sick, but it will put stress on your body. A pair of gloves, insulated boots, and a hood or hat to cover your ears will help you stay warm as you trek up to Rabb at 9am.
Get a flu shot! This is the easiest way not to get sick. Flu shots are not 100% foolproof, but they will help protect you against the most common strains of flu this season. And when you live in a dorm with 100 other people, that definitely counts for something.
Avoid sharing drinks. Viruses are easily spread through… spit… which lurks around your drink. Mono—the quintessential college-ruining virus—is especially contagious this way. This also applies to sharing hookahs and other…smoking apparatuses. You can lessen this risk by putting your hand between your lips and the mouthpiece.
Stay away from sick people. This is obvious, but important. If your best friend is sick, maybe keep your hugs
andphysical contact to a minimum until she’s less snotty. And I know it’s tough, but if your boyfriend is sick, avoid kissing him for a few days. You’d just catch his sickness and get stuck in a never-ending kissing-then-sickening cycle.
Of course none of these tips are guaranteed, but at least in my experience, they do help. If you wind up getting sick, the most important thing is to let yourself be sick for a bit! Slow down momentarily and get some extra sleep. (Ramen helps too.) Winter is a rough season here in MA, and staying healthy makes it slightly more tolerable. So bundle up and take care of yourself, Brandesians!