Nobody likes getting sick, but many people have the misconception that contracting a cold during cold and flu season is inevitable. But the fact is, becoming ill from these common viruses is preventable, and you don't need a doctor's prescription to get this benefit. Here are the four top tips you need to know to improve your changes of avoiding ever getting sick again.
Eat a "super food" a day
Everyone has heard the saying, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away," but eating an apple is just the beginning of what you can do for your immune system. In fact, if you really want to improve your flu-fighting ability, healthline.com suggests packing your diet with vitamin C. Known for its ability to shorten the duration of colds, it can help prevent them, as well.
The best sources of vitamin C include citrus fruits, red bell peppers, broccoli, spinach, garlic and ginger. Eat these foods as close to fresh and whole as you can, as cooking destroys the foods' naturally-occurring nutrients.
Take a daily supplement with immune support
Most people try their best to eat healthy, balanced diets, but it's inevitable to fall short in one way or another, especially if you have a demanding lifestyle. That's why taking a daily supplement in addition to those super foods is a crucial part of strengthening your immune system and your health in general.
"Taking a daily multivitamin and mineral supplement brings health benefits of many types," according to an article published by Harvard Medical School. The article suggests looking for supplements that include vitamins and minerals research has linked to improved immunity, such as selenium, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin D and zinc.
A new class of supplements, such as Immune-IQ, work through other beneficial methods, like Transfer Factor. Transfer Factor is a chemical compound that combines immune messenger molecules from multiple sources to educate you immune system and make it more efficient at tackling cold and flu viruses. When Transfer Factors are present, your body responds much more quickly to invasive viruses, meaning you either don't get sick at all, or you're sick for a much shorter period of time.
Use your own pen
Here's an interesting idea you might not have heard before: When you leave the house for the day, make sure you take a pen with you. The fewer communal objects you touch, the less chance you'll be exposed to cold and flu bugs. Think about how many people use those pens at the bank, the grocery store, a restaurant, and who knows if those pens ever get cleaned.
Try to figure out what other public objects you can avoid touching, Neil Schachter, MD, author of "The Good Doctor's Guide to Colds and Flu," told prevention.com, because there's no better way to pick up someone else's virus than through hand-to-hand contact. For instance, be sure to use a paper towel to turn off the sink and open the door to exit the public restroom, don't run your hand along hand railings unnecessarily, and use wipes to clean off shopping cart and basket handles before using them at the grocery store.
Get a new alarm clock
How many times have you sat up late in bed checking social media, responding to work emails, or mindlessly playing a game? This is one of the reasons researchers and specialists advise leaving the phone out of the bedroom at night. Swedish researchers found that frequent nighttime cell phone use leads to stress and sleeping problems. You might also be awoken by nighttime texts or email notifications, making it tempting to respond right then since the technology is easily within reach.
Ever since Arianna Huffington of the Huffington Post passed out from exhaustion after staying up late to work, she says she has become a sleep evangelist. She bought all her friends new alarm clocks that year "so they could stop using the excuse that they needed their very tempting iPhone by their bed to wake them up in the morning."
Why does sleep matter? Besides allowing you to be alert for daily activities, sleep has a significant effect on your immune system's functioning. "A lot of studies show our T-cells go down if we are sleep deprived," Diwakar Balachandran, MD, director of the Sleep Center at the University of Texas in Houston, told WebMD. "The more all-nighters you pull, the more likely you are to decrease your body's ability to respond to colds or bacterial infections." Who knew smart phones could be such a threat to your health? The supplement Immune-IQ strengthens and restores T-cell function.
If you want your body to work at its full potential, follow these tips and stay away from the sickness. These may not work all at once, so figure out what works best for you, your body, and your lifestyle. To find out how to boost your body's immune system, check out Immune-IQ and visit cell-iq.com.
