With Winter comes Cold Season!

At Women in Healthcare UK, we understand how easy it is to neglect your own health when you are focusing on the health of others. With the cold weather drawing in, with it comes the sniffles, the blocked noses, chesty coughs and shivers… Yes, Cold Season is upon us! Here are our top 7 tried and tested tips on how to ensure that your winter season isn’t full of sneezes!

1. It’s not down to wrong weather… you’ve just got the wrong clothes! Remember to always wrap up during the winter months, it may seem warm in the morning but by evening time you’ll be shivering in your boots! You can always take layers off, but you cant magically make them appear when needed so stock up on those woolly hats and big jumpers!
2. Build up your immune system by packing lots more fruit and veg into your diet. Vitamins and minerals are natures’ own defense system, so ensure that you stock up on all the good stuff to ensure your immune system is in tip top condition!
3. HYGIENE HYGIENE HYGIENE. Have you heard your co workers coughing and sneezing, or noticed an influx in discarded tissues on the bus? Cold season is upon us, and to ensure you don’t catch those pesky germs from a telephone or a bus handle, carry hand sanitiser with you at all times! It may sound simple, but when you come home from a long day make sure to have a shower to rinse away any bacteria that may have gathered on you throughout the day!
4. Make sure you’re getting enough sleep! We know that getting those 7 hours in a night can be difficult enough, but ensure that you’re getting enough sleep in if you begin to feel under the weather. Your immune system can’t work on low charge… and neither can you!
5. Get the flu jab. Needles may not be the nicest things in the world, but neither is a runny nose, a temperature and having to take time off work! Find out where you can get your jab through your doctor or the NHS website.
6. Try to avoid alcohol. Not only does alcohol strip your immune system, but it also disrupts your sleep and that is not something you want to be doing when you’re in the middle of cold season.
7. Be kind to your nose. Your nose is normally where a cold will start, so why not try a nasal rinse every day? Mix 3 teaspoons iodide-free salt and 1 teaspoon  of baking soda together. Add 1 teaspoon of this mixture to 1 cup distilled or cooled boiled water and use a nasal spray to clear out any bacteria that may be lurking!

Didn’t have time to follow our tips?

Have you already been struck down with a cold? If you weren’t lucky enough to stumble across our blog already, here are some of our tips on how to get rid of that cold FAST!

• Clear your nasal passages- shop around and find what works for you! From nasal sprays to tablets, there is something for everyone. Or if that doesn’t work, why not try the old fashioned pot of boiling water? Lean your head over the water, cover your head with a towel or blanket and inhale the steam for 10 minutes.
• Take steamy baths and showers- that’ll certainly help with that congestion!
• Sleep it off- make sure you get as many naps in as possible to let your body recover!
• Keep things clean- ensure your home is as clean as possible to keep the virus under control and ensure that you don’t spread it further OR get reinfected!
• Stay in the warm! This is pretty self explanatory but try and avoid the cold weather as much as is possible to avoid aggravating the virus further.
• Drink plenty of fluids to flush that cold out! Hot drinks and plenty of water will ensure you get better soon.

Unfortunately, there is no set in stone cold remedy! Just ride it out, normally colds only last around a week but if your symptoms persist, please ensure that you go straight to your local GP.