Everyone has heard myths about getting sick during the fall and winter. Whether you heard them through a friend or through your mom, health myths are health myths – untrue stories to scare you. There are things you think could make you sick don’t actually make you sick. Check out these bogus myths and get ready for a sick-free end of fall and early winter.
You need eight hours of sleep every night
Wouldn’t that be lovely, to be able to get eight hours of sleep every night? The National Sleep Foundation recommends that adults get seven to nine hours of sleep every night in order to be on their A-game, mentally and physically, the following day. But for college students, that isn’t very realistic. If you get five hours of sleep every night, you are no more likely to get sick compared to the person who gets ten hours of sleep every night.
Drinking eight glasses of water everyday
Sure, keeping hydrated helps keep your skin fresh, gives you some energy and helps your body overall, but eight whole glasses? That’s a lot. Sure, some people are thirstier than others, but don’t stress out if it’s 11:30 pm and you realized you only had four glasses. No one really knows how much water is a healthy amount of water for each individual person. Don’t force yourself to drink water if you aren’t thirsty. Water won’t save you from the winter sniffles.
Antibacterial soaps and hand-sanitizers
If you’re like me, you have a miniature bottle of Purell that has been in your backpack for years and has yet to be used. As great as antibacterial soaps and hand-sanitizers sound, they wont protect you from infectious bugs any better than your regular bar of soap.
You’ll get sick if you go outside with wet hair
On a cold day, leaving the house fresh out the shower with dripping wet hair might give you the shivers, but it will not get you sick, even though your mom told you for years “don’t leave the house with wet hair!” Yes, cold and flu viruses are stronger in colder whether, but your wet hair won’t catch any virus bacteria. Wet hair isn’t going to make you sick. So stop stressing about blow-drying your hair.
Bundle up when you go outside
Winter is cold, especially here in New England. When you head outside to brave the low temperature, it really doesn’t matter if you’re wearing three coats with a scarf and hat or if you don’t have any of that – the odds of you getting sick remain the same, whatever your attire is. Cold air doesn’t have an impact on you catching a cold. But I do recommend dressing warmly.
Unfortunately, everyone gets sick at the end of fall and the start of winter. Whether it’s the sniffles or a bad cough or the flu, as busy college students, the chances of you getting sick are high. But now you know that the myths your mother wanted you to believe about getting sick are indeed myths.