In winter, especially during the holidays, you really don’t want to get sick. But it is during this period that the human body is most often infected with various viruses and bacteria. The main factors leading to colds are changing weather conditions and weakened immunity. Let’s consider tips that will help you not get sick in winter.
The main ways to protect yourself from a winter cold are to strengthen your immunity and get rid of vitamin deficiency.
Tips for strengthening immunity
Symptoms of weakened immunity include chronic fatigue, frequent colds and headaches. You can start taking various medical drugs, but first it is better to change your lifestyle.
Drink more water
Water helps to get rid of most viruses and bacteria from mucous membranes. In addition, waste products of bacteria are removed from the body with water.
Drink natural juices
Drink juices regularly to strengthen immunity. If you have not drunk them before, then for three weeks you need to drink any natural red juices. In the first week, drink half a glass of juice three times a day, in the second – half a glass twice a day, and in the third – once a day.
Eat immune-stimulating foods
These include nuts and dried fruits, ginger, onions and garlic, yogurt, honey, legumes. Also, rosehip tea, ginger drinks, frozen berry jam, and St. John’s wort tinctures are very useful.
Get enough sleep
Physical stress and regular lack of sleep significantly affects immunity. As a result, the immune system is exhausted and produces an excessive amount of white blood cells (leukocytes). Such hyperactivity is directly related to frequent sleepless nights.
Prevention of vitamin deficiency
The best way to prevent vitamin deficiency and provide the body with vitamins is a healthy diet. First of all, pay attention to porridge. It is better to eat 2-3 different types of cereals every day.
Add spices to dishes. Spices are a source of vitamins. Add spices to the finished dish, as the useful properties decrease during cooking and baking. Add turmeric to breakfast, because it has a choleretic effect, ginger or cardamom to dinner, as they can improve brain activity, and mint or lemon balm are best for dinner, they have a calming effect. In addition, thanks to spices, endorphins are produced – the hormone of happiness!
Make your own mixture: mix dried apricots, cranberries, walnuts, lemon and raisins. Then add honey (two hundred grams of honey per liter jar of the mixture).
Birch leaves are also used to prevent vitamin deficiency. Approximately one hundred grams of leaves should be washed with water and mixed with 500 grams of cold water. Drink one glass several times a day.
If you catch a cold, see a doctor. If it is a common SARS, then symptomatic therapy is enough. For example, Mebucain Mint is used for a sore throat, and Otrivine is used for nasal congestion. But if you have the flu, you must take such antiviral drugs as Relenza. It stops the reproduction of the virus and prevents complications.