How Can I Avoid Getting Sick With the Flu?

Well it’s flu season again and people have been scrambling in my area here in the deep south to try and get a last minute flu shot? They are hard to find at this point in the season here and people are having to take their chances. I last had the flu when my son was a toddler and it put me on the couch for several days with high fever and it was just very unpleasant. I told myself that I would always get a flu shot and have ever since. But you may wonder is there anything else you can do to protect you and your loved ones from getting the dreaded flu virus? I believe there are a number of things that you can do to avoid catching the flu virus even if you did not get a flu shot. Let’s take a look at some of these simple precautions you can take to protect yourself and your loved ones.

One thing you can do in your house if open up the windows and let some fresh air in every couple of weeks. Remember that the air in your home is usually from two to five times worse for you than the air outside. Letting some fresh air in the house every couple of weeks is a great idea and a good way to keep healthy.

Probably the most important thing you can do is to wash your hands with soap and water for at least twenty seconds. Your children need to be reminded to wash their hands. Are they really washing their hands at school before they eat lunch? I’m a junior high school teacher and I see plenty of kids that don’t wash their hands or at least take the time to do this correctly. Also, you and your kids can both use the hand sanitizer that it now commonly sold in stores like Walmart. Germ-X is a popular brand of hand sanitizer and is better than nothing if no sink with soap and water is available. I usually keep some sanitizer in my vehicle and classroom and my kids usually keep some in their backpacks.

Remember that you should not share any type of food or drinks with anyone. This would include your family members. Germs are easily transferred this way. Also, things like toothpaste and lipstick should not be shared or certainly not toothbrushes which would seem obvious.

Perhaps, an overlooked thing that is important is for you to refrain from touching your face. Germs enter your body through your mouth and nose and even your eyes. Avoid touching your face to help prevent the transfer of germs that may contain the flu virus. Have you really thought about how many times you may actually touch your face each day? You may be amazed at the total. If you can avoid touching your face you may very well prevent the spread of germs into your body that cause the flu.

Clean things in your home that are frequently touched such as door knobs, remote controls for televisions, children’s toys, computer keyboards, refrigerators door handles, hand railings on stairs, telephones and any other things around the home that you touch frequently. Also, think about wiping down some areas in your vehicle like your steering wheel for example. Basically, places that are touched repeatedly are going to be places where germs can linger and be transferred to family members. Cleaners that you may consider using would be things like Clorox Wipes and Lysol products that are disinfectant products.

It may seem like nothing but getting plenty of sleep is a good way to help your body stay strong and fight off illness. Try to get eight hours in if you can and drink plenty of water. That just seems so hard to do on a regular basis for me. I know that I always struggle to drink enough water each day. It is important and needs to be done to help you stay healthy.

Now this is something that I never really thought about and I know that even my own mother had said something about yogurt before as being good for you. Apparently yogurt helps your immune system to fight off infections and disease. Hey, I like a little yogurt treat now and them so that sounds like an easy thing to do to stay healthy. I also know that my kids really love yogurt so that is even more reason to let them to continue to enjoy it.

Believe it or not, but kissing on the lips is also an easy way to spread germs, Try to avoid kissing on the lips if you are feeling ill as you may unknowingly spread the virus flu to a loved one. If you have an infant it also wise to try to prevent people from touching your baby’s hand during the flu season. Babies always are putting their hands in their mouths chewing on things. This is an easy way to prevent the transmission of germs.

Finally, if you can get a flu shot for you and your whole family then get it. They have a flu mist now for kids so they don’t have to get a shot because most every kid and even plenty of adults hate to get shots. If you do get sick with the flu then you should be courteous of others around you and stay home in bed and rest and drink plenty of fluids to stay hydrated and get well.