15 Tips To Prevent Common Cold For Healthy Living

Knowing how to prevent common cold is very important for everyone. Actually, the common cold is one of the most rampant chronic illnesses globally.

It affects millions of people including children, teens, adults, and elderly people.

For instance, in the USA,  children get affected with colds 8 to 14 annually, teens are estimated of 5 to 8 annually, adults are around 2 to 5 yearly, and elderly person it is estimated at 6 to 10 annually.

Common colds can cause other chronic illnesses, which may lead to serious health complications.

The symptoms may last for 7 days or more than 10 days before the common cold ends.

Furthermore, the symptoms might last longer in people who smoke.

Causes of the common cold

Viruses cause common cold, and the most popular virus that causes common colds is called rhinoviruses.

Over 300 types of viruses can cause the common cold. The fact is, the common cold spreads from one person to another through physical contact, especially shaking hands with someone who has a common cold.

 Therefore, this article provides you with the best tips on how to prevent the common cold.

How common cold spread

The cold virus can rapidly transfer from the skin and hands of a cold sufferer to the hands and fingers of another person during periods of contact or closeness.

After that, the common cold virus attached to the fingers can spread to the nose and eye.

For instance, you touching your nose or eyes.

This cold virus is then transported by mucociliary action to the adenoid area where it starts a cold.

How do you know if you have a common cold? (Signs and symptoms of the common cold)

The fact is, signs and symptoms of the common cold can appear 1 to 3 days after infection.

Here are some of the signs and symptoms of a common cold;

  • Runny or stuffy nose
  • Sore throat
  • Cough
  • Congestion
  • Slight body aches or a mild headache
  • Sneezing
  • Low-grade fever
  • Generally feeling unwell (malaise)

Tips to prevent the common cold

The most effective ways to prevent the common cold are outlined below.

  1. Drink green tea during cold hours

Green tea contains antioxidants that help boost the immune system to release antigens that fight off the virus that causes the common cold.

drink green tea

It also boosts insulin sensitivity and stimulates body receptors.

Therefore, drink green tea two times a day for effective prevention of the common cold.

  1. Eat food rich in spices

Spices such as ginger, onion, turmeric, and garlic are rich in antioxidants, antifungal, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory properties that help boost the immune system.

spices

This will help you prevent the common cold more effectively.

Therefore include ginger in your tea, and eat dishes, and desserts rich in spices.

Spices prevent several chronic diseases including the common cold.

  1. Eat kiwis to prevent the common cold

Kiwifruit is well known as a natural home remedy for the common cold. They are rich in vitamin C and antioxidants that help boost the immune system.

Therefore, your body produces antibodies that help prevent colds.

kiwi fruits

In case you have a common cold, eating more kiwifruits is the best idea

  1. Always keep your hands clean

Washing your hands is the best way to prevent the common cold. You need to keep your hands free from viruses through thorough hand cleaning with soap.

Rinse and keep your hands dry. Importantly, wash your hands after sneezing or coughing, and before handling food.

Let your children or younger siblings clean their hands regularly and cut their nails short.

  1. Quit smoking

Did you know that smoking causes body irritation, and lung cancer and worsens your cold symptoms? Know you know.

It also damages the throat and causes a cough. For smokers, it can take a long time before the common cold symptoms end.

Since the antiviral response in smokers can be suppressed by toxic substances from tobacco.

Therefore, it is important to avoid smoking to prevent the common cold

  1. Avoid poor sedentary lifestyles

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is very crucial for your overall health.

It helps keep your immune system stronger and healthy. This helps prevent the common cold.

A poor sedentary lifestyle lowers your antiviral response, which puts you at a higher risk of getting a common cold.

You need to eat a well-balanced diet and start exercising regularly to be fit.

  1. Manage stress, anxiety, and depression

These are harmful vices to our life. Chronic stress can lead to a low immune system.

This can increase your chances of getting the common cold. In fact, stress and depression can lead to other chronic illnesses such as blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, and many others.

Practice the best tips for stress and anxiety management to prevent the common cold.

  1. Proper disposal of tissues and other waste products

Being that the common cold is caused by viruses, it is important to dispose of used tissues away.

Remember that improper disposal of waste can result in other chronic illnesses and not the common cold alone.

prevent common cold

Be self-responsible for your family and friends by throwing away the tissues you used.

  1. Maintain good hygiene

Always clean your household and keep everything clean.

Use a towel to rinse various home items, to keep them germ-free.

For instance, you can use soap and water, bleach, or disinfectant cleaners to wipe off doorknobs, keyboards, your phones, and remote controls.

You can as well clean desks, toys, countertops, faucet handles, and drawer pulls. This will prevent common cold viruses and help you prevent other chronic diseases.

Furthermore, good personal hygiene is very important to everyone.

  1. Quit from rubbing your face or nose

Many people easily get common cold viruses when they shake hands and then touch their faces with the same hand.

 I tell you, this is an automatic infection by a common cold virus.

Therefore, always avoid touching your nose, mouth, and eyes to prevent the risk of getting the common cold.

  1. Don’t share drinking glasses or utensils

There are higher chances of developing a common cold if you share glasses or utensils with someone who has a common cold.

Therefore, it is important to avoid sharing eating materials.

Furthermore, you can use your own glass or disposable cups to prevent the common cold.

  1. Avoid close contact with anyone with common cold

It is very important to stay away from people infected with the common cold.

This will reduce your risk of being infected by the common cold virus.

I hope you know very well, the common cold can easily spread by getting into contact with contaminated air.

Therefore, staying away, is the best way to prevent the common cold.

  1. Drink chamomile tea

This tea is rich in antioxidants, antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties that improve blood flow in your nerves and arteries.

Therefore, it aids in boosting the immune system to respond to the common cold viruses.

Drink chamomile tea to prevent common colds and other chronic illnesses.

  1. Start regular exercise

Exercise plays a major role in life. It helps us have a stronger immune system that protects us against harmful toxin infections.

Getting fit will improve your moods, prevent the common cold, reduces stress, prevent blood pressure and diabetes, and prevent unhealthy weight gain.

Regular exercise will also prevent other health complications.

Here are the benefits of exercise for better health.

  1. Eat a healthy balanced diet

For a stronger immune system and overall health, eat a well-balanced diet.

Especially, vegetables, fruits, and whole food are the best immune boosters for better health.

foods that prevent common cold

Always avoid processed and refined carbs.

Furthermore, watch the food portion you eat to void unhealthy weight gain.

Eating a healthy diet is one of the good ways of preventing common cold and other chronic illnesses.

Treatment of a common cold

There is no cure for the common cold. These tips can help you relieve the symptoms.

Takeaway

Seek medical attention if your common cold symptoms persist. However, prevention is better than cure.

Therefore, follow the above tips to help you stay away from or prevent the spread of common cold viruses.