How to stay healthy during winter

Winter comes with a lot of fun. There are a lot of fun filled outdoor activities you can have with your family. You can decide to go snowboarding or skiing with your lover; you can choose to have a family time making snowmen and throwing snowballs at each other; your teen group may choose to go ice fishing… the list of fun things to do is endless.

You’ll also agree with me that some of the best meals are eaten during winter period. Who does not like a plate of sausage and butterbean stew or lean turkey burger and sweet potato fries with a mug of steaming chocolate drink?

Finally, the holiday season coincide with winter; Christmas and New Year celebrations come up during this period of the year. Thus, there is a high chance that you have enough free time to enjoy the season with your family and friends.

However, you should note that there is a high chance of falling sick during winter. There are a lot of other health hazards that are peculiar to the season of the year; I will provide you with some of them in the coming paragraphs.

Cold and Flu.

This is easily the commonest hazard that comes with winter. This is because the cold temperature helps rhinovirus, the common cold virus, to multiply. The virus gets into our noses and multiplies rapidly. Its spread is also aided by the fact that during winter, people are mostly indoors; this makes it easier to spread from person to person. Just like common cold, the virus that causes influenza also spread rapidly during cold weather. This is why it is also common during winter period.

Heart Attacks.

It has been observed by medical practitioners that the number of reported cases of heart attack goes up during the winter period. This is because a drop in temperature as low as 2 degrees will make the blood vessels become narrower. This results in reduced flow of blood to the heart and consequently, reduced oxygen flow. If the heart does not get the required amount of oxygen, this leads to heart attack.

Frostbite.

Frostbite occurs when the hands and legs are exposed to extreme cold weather. It can cause extreme pain on the fingers and toes.

Skin Wrinkling.

During winter, the air is drier. Absence of rain reduces the moisture content of the air. This can lead to aging and skin wrinkling as the skin moisture will be evaporated faster.

Injuries.

There are other injuries that may occur due to the cold weather. You could slide on a snow wet floor. You may have shoulder or back injuries from shoveling snow off the driveway. The roads are also riskier to drive on during winter as the snow reduces the friction between the tires and the road.

While I hate to be a bearer of bad news, it is highly important that you should not shy away from the possibility of these things occurring.

I have good news nonetheless. It is possible to reduce the risk of falling ill or injuring yourself due to the cold weather. I will provide you five tips through which you can reduce the possibility of ill-health to the barest minimum.

Here are seven tips to staying healthy during winter.

Wash your hands.

As simple as this sound, you can prevent the spread of most germs when you wash your hands. This is the same with common cold virus and influenza virus. After making snowmen and throwing snowballs, washing your hands with a good soap and clean water help reduce the rate cold virus multiply. 

In addition to that, you should see to it that you limit your hand moving to your nose. Remember I said earlier that common cold virus finds its way to the nose in cold periods. This is where it can have effect on us. You should see to it that you limit its chance of getting there.

Wear protective clothes.

You shouldn’t expose yourself to the elements during this time of the year. Your priority during this time should be on how to keep yourself warm. Get thick sweaters, gloves and socks. You can also use head warmers. This way you can prevent frostbites.

Take a lot of sleep

When you sleep, it helps boost your immune system. Taking a lot of sleep will help strengthen your immune system against cold and flu. Remember, your bedding matters! Get a comfortable mattress and a pillow according to your preffered sleeping position. If you are a stomach or back sleeper, you will need a flat pillow, however if you sleep on your side pay attention to thicker pillows.

Exercise

When you exercise, it warms you up. Your heart beats faster and blood gets to be circulated more. This is one major way you can stay healthy during winter time.

The risk of having a heart attack is greatly reduces as blood flow is increased and more oxygen is carried to the heart. The warm temperature also helps blood vessels stay open. What’s more, it is impossible to have frost bite when your hands and feet are in constant motion.

Jog, take a walk, run, hit the gym …, anything; just make sure you exercise.

Work on your diet

As part of keeping your immune system in top condition, you should see to it that you eat food that builds your immune system. Although it can be tempting to go for the sugary stuffs, ensure you minimize their intake.

Milks, fruits and vegetables build up your immune system. Take them a lot. You’ll find out that they provide the necessary vitamins your body needs to fight cold virus. 

Lower your risk of injury

You can do this by:

•salting driveways, outdoor stairways and everywhere else where snow may cause slip and fall. This is because salt reduces the melting point of snow making it melt easily.

•wearing a helmet and other body protecting equipment when skiing, skating or surfing.

•ensuring you have proper footing when walking.

Use humidifiers indoor

Humidifiers are great in helping to keep indoor air moisturized. Absence of moisture contributes to skin wrinkling. It also aids cough and cold. Getting a humidifier will help you maintain the moisture level in your room.

As a plus, getting a warm mist humidifier (a type of humidifiers) helps keep your room warm by spraying warm mist to the air. This way, your room’s air is moisturized and you are kept warm.