How to stay healthy this holiday season
Staying healthy during the holidays can be a challenge due to the busy schedules, travel, and exposure to different environments and people. Because of this, respiratory diseases, including the flu, COVID-19 and RSV, will significantly rise as holiday festivities and travel increase.
“It’s like a herd — everyone is together. Say the person in front of you in line coughs or someone who is sick touches a doorknob. In crowded places — such as a family reunion, the mall or the airport — the likelihood is higher that there’s an active germ somewhere,” primary care physician Brian Krachman told Piedmont Healthcare.
“The bitter cold is another risk factor for getting sick. Going between indoors and outdoors, hot and cold, can worsen allergies and the spread of germs.”
How can we stay healthy during the holidays?
Here are a few tips to help you avoid getting sick and make the most of the holiday season:
1. Wash your hands regularly
Simple, but proven to be one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of germs.
“It’s probably the single biggest thing we can do to prevent spreading illness, and especially important around the holidays as we tend to spend more time with folks whose immune systems might not be what it used to,” primary care physician Marc Kai told HuffPost.
Washing your hands with soap and water, especially before eating, after using the restroom and when you return home, can significantly reduce the risk of germs spreading.
Delana Wardlaw, a family medicine physician, told HuffPost that “she aims to wash her hands with soap and water for about 20 seconds. If there’s no sink, soap, or water in sight, she opts for hand sanitizer with 60% alcohol.”
2. Get enough sleep
With the excitement and stress that encompasses the holidays, your sleep schedule can get tossed out the window. However, lack of sleep can weaken your immune system, making you more susceptible to catching a sickness.
According to the Mayo Clinic, “Studies show that people who don’t get quality sleep or enough sleep are more likely to get sick after being exposed to a virus, such as a common cold virus. Lack of sleep can also affect how fast you recover if you do get sick.”
The Sleep Foundation advised the following amounts of sleep for each age group to ensure overall health:
Infants: 12-16 hours.
Toddlers: 11-14 hours.
Preschool: 10-13 hours.
Elementary/middle school: Nine-12 hours.
Teenagers: Eight-10 hours.
Adult: Seven hours or more.
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3. Exercise regularly
Regular physical activity can help strengthen your immune system to fight off the increased number of germs you’ll encounter during the holidays.
“Light to moderate exercise may help boost the immune system to avoid sickness, and when someone is already sick, it may also help increase circulation to reduce some symptoms of a head cold,” per Medical News Today.
“It is important to avoid heavy or very strenuous exercise. People with more severe symptoms, such as those with a fever or a heavy cough, should also avoid exercise.”
Medical News Today emphasized the following moderate exercises to perform to combat illness:
Walking.
Light jogging.
Light biking.
Swimming.
Tai chi.
Yoga.
4. Eat healthy and stay hydrated
While enjoying all the holiday treats and big meals, keep in mind that a balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grains can help boost your immune system.
“There is no one food, meal or supplement that will significantly boost immune function. Instead a healthy balanced diet with a variety of foods and a constant supply of nutrients helps to keep the immune system strong and fight off viruses. So focus on a healthy balanced diet,” per Eat Well Nutrition.
Like food, drinking plenty of water can keep you healthy.
Water “plays a key role in many of our body’s functions, including bringing nutrients to cells, getting rid of wastes, protecting joints and organs, and maintaining body temperature,” according to UC Davis Health.
