For many people, winter is a long, cold slog whose only redeeming features are the holiday season and winter sports. As if the freezing temperatures weren’t enough, sicknesses like the flu and COVID-19 prosper during this time, making short, frigid days even more unbearable. Luckily, there are more than a few precautions you can take to beef up your immune system to combat these microscopic invaders.
Understanding why winter is the prime time for germs to cultivate is crucial in understanding how to stay safe. During winter, the dry, cold air helps the flu and other diseases linger longer on almost every surface. Coupling this with the greater amount of time spent indoors, the spreading of germs is inevitable. All it takes is just one person to get sick, and the flu begins to exponentially infect more and more people for up to a week at a time.
One useful trick to whip your immune system into shape is by exercising. Getting the heart rate up leads to more blood circulation, which takes antibodies and white blood cells from the lymph nodes into all of the parts of the body. This certainly comes in handy because if you happen to inhale or otherwise get the flu virus inside your body; there are legions of tiny soldiers waiting to eradicate them the second they arrive.
Most students at HHS already participate in a winter sport, which should be a sufficient amount of exercise for a healthy immune system, but if you happen to sit out the winter sports season, there are plenty of workarounds. Going for a run takes up little time and is cost-efficient. Even just walking for a mile or two a day can show some serious benefits after a while. Make sure to work a little sweat into your daily routine if you haven’t already.
Next is to avoid one mistake a good amount of students at HHS make: using the water fountain. While using the school water fountain can be a lifesaver for people who can’t bring themselves to get up at a decent hour and fill their water bottles before school, it is an absolute breeding ground for nasty pathogens. Just think about it: people breathing all over the spout and God forbid putting their mouth on it? Taking the time to remember a water bottle is key for a healthy flu season. Bring a large one too, because while filling up at a hydration station isn’t as dangerous as going in for the spout, the moist conditions are especially attractive to bacteria. Try to avoid it, but if necessary, just gamble your chances and hope you have immunity to whatever grimy germs may be lurking.
Another critical factor in staying healthy is washing your hands. Who could have known? Apparently not as many HHS students as you would like to think. The lack of handwashing observed during lunch is disturbing. If you do not frequently wash your hands after using the lavatory, you’re just asking to get sick.
Self-proclaimed squeaky-clean sophomore William Monti believes “it is crucial to wash your hands to prevent the spread of the flu that is going around.” That lad is certainly hoping to remain healthy as a horse. Traversing to bathrooms on the other side of the cafeteria may seem like a pain, but you’ll thank yourself when your best friend is home sick for a week, watching the work pile up, while you’re free to carry out life as normal.
However, if none of these tips work, there is still a way to get over the flu faster than normal. Taking vitamin C supplements daily can increase the efficiency of the immune system. Contrary to popular belief, vitamin C does not prevent the flu. What it does do is strengthen your immune system so that it is ready for the threat and eliminates the virus in five or so days instead of a week. Just a little tablet a day can mean the difference between 20 missing assignments and 23 missing assignments.
If you have gotten the flu shot this year, you may think you have diplomatic immunity to the virus and can therefore do whatever your heart desires. This is a grave mistake. For many years, doctors falsely anticipate what strain of the flu will be the most common, and they end up administering the wrong protection. This year is no different. While every shot does provide some form of a shield, it is by no means a freebie immunity hack. So think twice before French kissing the water fountain.
Anyone who has had the flu knows it is no fun. Senior Hannah Giveny highlights that stating, “getting a certain type of strain can keep you out of school for a week, and around this time of year that can be incredibly damaging.”
Stay safe out there, HHS.
