5 Tips for Traveling When You Have Diabetes
Traveling for work or fun doesn’t have to disrupt your diabetes care. Explore five proactive tips to help you stay on track wherever your next adventure takes you.
5 Ways to Avoid a Summer Cold This Year
Catching a cold during the summer may seem unfair. After all, stuffy noses and sore throats are more of a winter thing. But the common cold doesn’t take a vacation just because it’s warm and sunny outside.
In fact, all the traveling and socializing you do during the summer may make you more susceptible to catching the virus. Taking steps to protect yourself may lower your risk of catching a cold this summer.
Our skilled team at Internal Medicine of Greater New Haven wants you to stay healthy this summer, offering tips on what you can do to avoid the warm-weather cold.
1. Keep your hands clean
Cold germs linger on the hands and surfaces and spread easily if you don’t wash your hands regularly. Washing your hands frequently is one of the best ways to avoid a summer cold, especially after touching shared surfaces like doorknobs and elevator buttons.
Not touching your face and eyes is also key to staying healthy, so you don’t inadvertently infect yourself with the cold virus before you get a chance to wash off the germs.
Wash your hands with soap and running water. Lather and scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds to remove most of the germs.
2. Protect yourself when socializing
With school out, summer is a popular time for getting together with family and friends and traveling to fun-filled destinations. While it’s great to spend time with others, you risk exposure to more germs.
Pay attention to the people around you and put some distance between you and those who are exhibiting cold symptoms. More importantly, if you have a cold, skip the party or day trip to the park so you don’t infect others.
3. Drink plenty of fluids
The hot weather outside and the dry air inside (due to air conditioning) increase the risk of dehydration during the summer. Dehydration may dry out the skin and mucus membranes, making it harder for your body to fight off viruses that you breathe in.
Drinking plenty of fluids to stay hydrated is good for your overall health and wellness. Water is the best choice for hydration; aim for 11 to 16 cups a day.
If you struggle drinking plain water, add lemon, lime, watermelon, or cucumber to your water bottle for a splash of flavor.
4. Stick to a healthy routine
Healthy habits may also help you avoid the summer cold by supporting your immune system. Eat a balanced diet filled with the nutrients your immune system needs to function, including healthy proteins (poultry, fish, and beans), fresh fruits and vegetables, and healthy fats like avocado, nuts, and seeds.
Getting plenty of sleep, exercising regularly, and managing stress are also habits that benefit immune health.
5. Keep hand sanitizer handy
Finding a place to wash your hands is challenging when you’re out and about. Carry hand sanitizer everywhere you go so you can get rid of germs when you can’t get to a sink to wash them off.
You can also use hand sanitizer to disinfect surfaces. Apply your hand sanitizer to a cloth or napkin and wipe down eating trays, bathroom surfaces, and TV controllers before using them. Or, better yet, pack sanitizing wipes in your bag or backpack to disinfect high-touch objects.
Viruses that cause colds are very contagious, and it’s not unusual for someone to have two or three colds a year. If you happen to catch a cold this summer and the symptoms are making you feel unwell, we can help you feel better.
Call us today or request an appointment online at the location nearest you. We have offices in Hamden, Cheshire, Milford, North Haven, Meriden, Wallingford, West Haven, Stratford, and Branford, Connecticut.
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