During the winter months, as the temperature drops, our immune system weakens. This causes our body to become more vulnerable to infection. In addition, a variety of illnesses, depending on the cold weather, also increase considerably. Therefore, you need to be more careful and take certain steps to preserve your health.
Physical exercise and eating habits
Although the winter season can increase the risk of weather-related injuries, the greatest risk to overall health is lack of attention to diet and exercise routines. During the holidays, we are so busy finalizing travel plans, completing tasks at work, buying and wrapping gifts and crossing everything off our checklists that we forget to prioritize our healthy habits. Yet, to protect ourselves from winter illnesses, it is necessary to maintain a healthy diet and exercise. Winter has a higher likelihood of developing colds and flu than any other season. Taking vitamin C supplements, diversifying your diet and drinking enough water should naturally help the body fight viruses and bacteria.
Influenza vaccines can help protect against winter illnesses and reduce the risk of hospitalization and death from this type of infection. In addition, influenza spreads easily from person to person. When you get a flu shot, you're not only protecting yourself, you're also protecting the people around you. The best time to get your flu shot is around October. After receiving the vaccine, it takes about 2 weeks for your body to develop effective protection. If you don't get the vaccine at the recommended time, it's not too late. You can still do it at any time, knowing that the cold can last until May.
Ensure a healthy lifestyle in the winter season
The most effective way to protect yourself from winter diseases and improve your body's resistance is to get enough sleep. A healthy person should get an average of 7 to 8 hours of sleep per day. As heart rate, blood pressure and breathing decrease during sleep, the release of beneficial hormones in the body increases. For this reason, to strengthen your immune system, your sleep habits should be balanced and regular, especially during periods of extreme cold. It is also important to avoid stress. Indeed, it affects the human body not only mentally, but also physically. For this reason, avoiding stress helps protect your immune system. To decompress and avoid getting sick in winter, you can, for example, do a variety of activities that you enjoy.