Prevent The Common Cold typically involve symptoms like runny nose, coughing, sore throat and sneezing.
A common cold can manifest with symptoms including runny nose, coughing, sore throat and sneezing. Each year it impacts many Americans, forcing them to miss school and work – according to estimates by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), adults typically experience 2-3 colds while children typically encounter 8-12 during any given year.
What Causes The Common Cold, And How Is It Spread ?
The common cold refers to an array of symptoms caused by infections. Rhinoviruses are responsible for most instances, while over 200 infections have been identified that can trigger its symptoms.
Colds typically spread from person to person through close personal contact, such as shaking hands, or inhaling the quality of an infected individual. Beads carrying infection could also be coughed out into the air and then breathed in by another, or it might pollute surfaces such as door handles and countertops.
By taking a few simple measures, you can lower the likelihood of contracting a cold.
An individual cleans themselves in the washroom sink.
1. Wash Your Hands Often.
Taking 20 seconds every few hours to wash your hands helps protect you against becoming sick and prevent the spread of disease. Use plain cleanser and water, paying special attention to spaces between fingers, under the fingernails and washing with clean towels after each use; teach children the appropriate ways to do it as well if needed (liquor-based sanitizers can also work if cleanser and water are unavailable).
Be sure to wash hands immediately after sneezing or coughing and prior to handling food.
2. Try Not To Touch Your Face.
Infections can enter your body through your nose, mouth and eyes. It is therefore essential to avoid touching your face after coming in contact with someone carrying an infectious illness such as colds if possible and haven’t cleaned yourself thoroughly beforehand.
3. Try Not To Smoke
Smoking tobacco items aggravates and harms both throat and lung tissue, exacerbating cold symptoms – including sore throat and cough – further. Even secondhand smoke can have adverse reactions; according to one report, smokers’ counter response might become subdued, making them less equipped to fight disease.
4. Use Disposable Items If A Family Member Is Infected.
If you have a cold, it is advisable to use disposable plates, cups and utensils and dispose of them immediately after use. This is particularly helpful if there are children in your household who may try taking food off others’ plates or drinking from others’ cups.
5. Keep Household Surfaces Clean.
Clean all surfaces regularly to maintain moderately microorganism-free environments in your household, especially areas that are touched frequently such as door handles, consoles, telephones, controllers, work areas toys countertops spigot handles and cabinet pulls. Infections can remain on surfaces for hours after being touched by someone contaminated; so focus on areas you frequently touch using cleanser/water/fade or sanitizer cleaners that focus on eliminating door handles consoles telephone controllers controllers work areas toys countertops spigot handles and cabinet pulls etc.
6. Wash Toys
Clean Toys Children are at greater risk than adults for getting colds, often from touching toys that spread an infection. As part of your regular cleaning efforts for your home and family, be sure to include cleaning up their toys too!
7. Use Paper Towels
Consider Paper Towels Traditional fabric towels can harbor germs for hours after being touched, leading to contamination. To avoid spreading any potential infections further, switch over to using paper towels when cleaning in the kitchen and drying your hands after washing.
8. Discard Tissues After Use
If you have a cold, it is likely you will use many tissues, but be sure to dispose of each after every use. Even small coughs will stay contained within one tissue for hours at a time – and when left on surfaces such as tables and countertops it could disfigure them over time.
9. Maintain A Healthy Lifestyle
Maintaining good health is crucial, so that if and when a cold does strike, your immune system is strong enough to fend it off effectively. Make sure your diet includes lots of fresh, local products as much as possible; practice regularly; and get adequate rest.
10. Control Stress
Whenever we experience pressure, our bodies release cortisol – a hormone with soothing properties – that acts to ease tension. Unfortunately, chronic pressure causes overproduction of this chemical which then renders our immune systems resistant against it.
Studies have demonstrated that when exposed to something stressful such as an acute cold infection which causes stress-inducing symptoms, an individual who’s always stressed out might not be as prepared to fight it since their usual soothing response doesn’t kick in as effectively as usual.
