It’s that time of year again- winter colds. It’s hard to avoid any kind of sickness whether it’s the sniffles or that horrible flu bug. Luckily, there are many ways you can prevent the intensity of the cold or avoid it altogether-it might be a lucky year.

 Preventing colds can be a help to students at school who need to be in class. The school policy states that students who miss two or less days are eligible to forgo finals. It can be tough to try and not miss school because of sickness.

 According to a survey sent out to the school, 67 percent of students said they get sick one to three times during the winter while 18 percent say they never get sick. And only 13 percent get sick four to six times.

 According to Health.com, some ways to prevent colds include washing your hands after you come in contact with someone else’s, getting enough sleep at night, eating healthy foods, such as fruits and vegetables, and exercising. Exercise can boost your immune system along with eating healthy to fight the nasty germs.  

 While in school, make sure you’re using hand sanitizer and always wash your hands when possible because of the surfaces touched throughout the day. Drink lots of water; drinking a lot of fluids will help flush out the viruses and germs you come in contact with.

 Another health website called Healthline.com states that taking vitamin C will help boost your immune system. Studies showed that while vitamin C does not prevent colds from happening, it can help when you do have one.  “If you take vitamin C, you’ll get just as many colds as you did before, but they may be slightly less severe and last for a slightly shorter time period.”

 76 percent of students answered that they miss up to one to three days of school because of a cold. 72 percent of students answered yes to the question that they still come to school. Out of that group, 47 percent of those students said they came to school because of the school policy. 25 percent said they stay  at home.

 During the season, make sure you taking care of your body. Do those things that will be able to fight off the infection when it comes. By taking care of your body, you will be able to enjoy the New Year and all the outside activities instead of running a fever and drinking chicken broth.