You know that familiar feeling – a tickle in your throat, pressure around your nose, a flurry of sneezes cropping up. It’s a sign that a cold is coming on, and it can pop up at any time of the year, not just during winter. However, knowing how to prevent a cold can help you stay healthy more often.
Once you have a cold, a few days of rest and some bowls of chicken soup can help ease the symptoms while they’re in full force. However, keeping yourself from getting sick in the first place is an even better tactic to stay feeling great all year round.
If you have cold symptoms and they’re worsening, make an appointment with your primary care provider or go to your nearest urgent care.
How to prevent a cold
Sometimes you can’t avoid getting a cold. Fortunately, there are some helpful habits you can start trying today to minimize your chances. Add these common cold prevention tips into your daily routine to banish the coughing and congestion before they get a chance to start.
Wash your hands often
One of the most important things you can do for preventing the common cold is to wash your hands frequently, especially during spring and winter when the virus affects more people.
About 80 percent of infectious diseases are spread by people touching surfaces that are contaminated with germs Think of the different things you touch during the day – doorknobs, keyboards and even other people’s hands. These things all have the potential to carry cold germs.
Once you touch the surfaces and then touch your mouth, eyes or nose, you can infect yourself with the virus. Stop the spread of these germs by practicing effective handwashing. Here’s how:
- Wet your hands with warm water.
- Apply soap to your hands and rub them together to create a thick lather.
- Don’t just wash your palms — soap up your fingers, the backs of your hands and your fingernails.
- Scrub for at least 20 seconds or longer.
- Rinse the soap off your hands with running water, and dry them with a clean towel.
Get enough sleep
Sleep is essential for keeping us feeling our best when we’re not sick, but it’s even more important when our bodies need to heal. If you get poor-quality sleep or not enough of it, it’s more likely that you’ll develop a cold.
Here are some tips for better sleep:
- Try to get at least eight hours a night
- If you have trouble getting to bed, create some new sleep habits to improve your rest
- Stop using electronic devices and watching TV at least an hour or so before bedtime
- Make sure your bedroom is dark; install blackout curtains if strong ambient light comes through your windows at night.
You can also work on preventing the common cold by changing what you consume. Stimulants like caffeine and nicotine can keep you awake for hours, and drinking alcohol before bed can also disrupt your sleep cycles.
Keep your evening meal a little smaller, too – this can help you get more restorative sleep that helps your immune system resist the common cold.
Move your body
Regular activity can boost your immune system just like great sleep does. When you get active, your circulation improves, meaning that your blood flows better throughout your body.
It also means that immune cells travel better and farther around your body, which helps them find and eliminate illnesses before they get a chance to spread. Just 2.5 hours of moderate exercise a week are enough to enjoy the immune-boosting benefits your body needs to stay healthy and cold-free.
How we can help
With these tips in mind, you’re well on your way to stopping a cold before it starts. Learning how to prevent a cold can help you protect yourself from viruses and other illnesses.
If you do notice symptoms of a cold and you need medical care, make an appointment with your primary care provider or visit your nearest urgent care.
Learn about the primary care and urgent care services we offer at Mercy Health.
