Following the Polar Vortex that swept through Morgantown a few weeks ago, you might be feeling a little under the weather. While being cold doesn’t cause you to get sick, a study conducted by the US National Library of Medicine suggests that being exposed to colder temperatures reduces your body’s ability to fight off viral infections.
On a campus of roughly 30,000 students, it’s hard to avoid getting sick, especially if you live in a dorm, where you’re more likely to spread germs to one another. Germs can be picked up from touching contaminated objects such as the door to your classroom, bathroom, stair railings or water fountains. Regularly washing your hands prevents the germs and bacteria from infecting us when we touch extremities such as our eyes, nose and mouth. If you don’t have access to washing your hands, Bath & Body Works has the cutest hand sanitizers that are small enough to carry with you anywhere. The important thing to take away from all of this is that by washing your hands, you reduce your chances of getting sick.
During the winter season, it’s important to take care of your body to combat sickness. Not eating healthy, drinking enough water, drinking too much alcohol and depriving your body of sleep have negative effects on your body, which can lead to sickness. Your body deserves to be treated kindly.
Eating lots of fruits and vegetables is a great way to boost your immune system. Foods that are high in zinc, such as salmon, can actually reduce cold and flu symptoms. Vitamin C is also important to improve your immune system and Emergen-C comes in raspberry and orange flavors. If the constantly changing weather conditions have you feeling down, TheraFlu, DayQuil and Nyquil are great options to keep stocked in your medicine cabinet.
While the cold weather may have you feeling down, taking these precautions during the winter season will keep you out of the Student Health clinic and able to focus on your upcoming midterms.