As a nurse, your threat of catching a viral sickness from an contaminated affected person throughout chilly and flu season is excessive. Moreover, your line of labor requires that you simply be out locally the place you can probably be uncovered to COVID-19 (which shares many related signs with the chilly and flu viruses). Fortunately, there are a number of easy life-style modifications which you could implement to reinforce your immune system’s response. Maintain studying to seek out out how one can shield and enhance your well being this chilly and flu season.

10 Methods Nurses Can Keep Wholesome Throughout Chilly and Flu Season

Eat a Balanced Eating regimen

Do you know that just about 70% of your physique’s immune system resides in your gastrointestinal system? This implies your intestine performs a crucial function in holding you wholesome throughout chilly and flu season. You’ll be able to enhance your gastrointestinal system’s total well being by consuming a balanced food regimen, one that’s low in fats and sugar and excessive in protein and fiber. Moreover, there are a number of meals which you could eat to present your immune system an added enhance. Crimson peppers, for example, comprise 3 times as a lot vitamin C as a Florida orange and shellfish (i.e. oysters, crabs, lobsters and mussels) are filled with zinc.

Scale back Stress

When your physique is underneath stress, your adrenal glands produce and launch cortisol into your bloodstream. Whereas cortisol performs an essential function in activating your physique’s battle or flight response (crucial for prime stress conditions), it additionally suppresses the effectiveness of B-cells and T-cells (crucial for destroying viruses and pathogens). Moreover, excessive ranges of stress can wreak havoc in your digestive system, inflicting ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome and different undesirable modifications. That’s the reason this can be very essential that you simply discover methods to decrease your stress ranges throughout chilly and flu season. Whereas there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all method for stress discount, respiratory workouts, training mindfulness and optimistic self-talk are all nice methods to assist scale back pressure within the second.

Train Frequently

Along with reducing your stress ranges, common acute train (train that’s average to vigorous and lasts lower than an hour) has been confirmed to enhance your immune system’s response. Sometimes, your physique’s immune cells accumulate within the organs which are chargeable for killing viruses and pathogens (i.e. your lymphatic system). Nonetheless, once you train, your blood and lymph movement is elevated, leading to a better variety of immune cells circulating in your physique at a better price. The perfect half is that you’ll not want an costly gymnasium membership or fancy train gear to realize this immune boosting profit. Strolling, working and biking are all varieties of acute train that can produce the specified consequence.

Get Sufficient Sleep

While you’re working 12-hour shifts and attending to the wants of your loved ones and residential, it may be troublesome to pencil in an eight-hour appointment with the Sandman. Whereas getting an ample quantity of relaxation is essential all yr lengthy, it’s particularly essential throughout chilly and flu season. While you’re sleeping, your physique releases cytokines that stimulate the immune system to battle overseas pathogens. Manufacturing of those protecting cytokines is decreased once you reduce your sleep quick. Moreover, restful sleep bolsters the manufacturing of T-cells, chargeable for destroying cells contaminated by viruses and pathogens. Assist your physique enable you to. Fall asleep.

Take Your Nutritional vitamins

Whereas we typically consider vitamin C because the “go-to vitamin” of chilly and flu season, there are a number of different nutritional vitamins that, when taken correctly, enhance your physique’s immune perform. As an example, vitamin D does a lot greater than assist bone well being. It has additionally been proven to reinforce the perform of immune cells, equivalent to T-cells and macrophages. Moreover, vitamin B6 is chargeable for producing white blood cells and T-cells and supporting the immune system’s biochemical reactions. And vitamin E is a robust antioxidant that helps the physique battle off an infection. These three nutritional vitamins are simply the tip of the iceberg.

Earlier than taking any vitamin dietary supplements, we advocate consulting along with your physician on the suitable dosages and frequency.

Get Exterior

Because the climate grows cooler, folks are inclined to congregate indoors the place it’s good and heat. Nonetheless, staying out of the weather could be detrimental to your well being throughout chilly and flu season for 2 causes. First, as folks spend extra of their time inside, the chance of getting a virus from another person is elevated, particularly in buildings with poor air flow programs. Second, scientists imagine that after we are exterior, we breath in phytoncides (airborne chemical substances produced by vegetation) that enhance our white blood cell depend. Subsequently, spending time within the nice outside prevents attainable exposures and improves our immune well being. Additionally, it’s a lot simpler to train exterior and our our bodies naturally produce vitamin D when uncovered to daylight.

Wash Your Fingers

No article on staying wholesome throughout chilly and flu season can be full with out a reminder to scrub your palms. Whereas hand washing is a greatest follow that many nurses readily comply with, merely lathering up with cleaning soap and water isn’t sufficient. Outlined beneath is the correct handwashing method for healthcare professionals:

• Use lukewarm working water to moist your palms.

• Apply cleaning soap and rub your palms collectively to work up a lather.

• Along with rubbing your palms collectively, remember to wash the again of your palms, your wrists, between your fingers and underneath your nails.

• Correct handwashing ought to take a minimum of 20 seconds (or the period of time it takes to sing the ABC’s or Joyful Birthday twice).

• Rinse your palms beginning at your wrist. Let the water run off your fingertips. You should definitely rinse away all of the lather.

• Dry your palms effectively with a clear paper towel. Use the paper towel to show off the tap and open the door.

Wash Your Scrubs

All through your day as a nurse, you encounter a wide range of sufferers which are managing a wide range of well being circumstances. Whilst you undoubtedly perceive and embrace the significance of fine hand hygiene as a part of these interactions, have you ever ever thought-about the significance of fine scrub hygiene? Frequent bacterium and viruses can stay on surfaces for hours, days, weeks and even months. That’s the reason it is very important correctly disinfect your scrubs throughout chilly and flu season.

To correctly disinfect your scrubs, first wash them inside out with chilly water and detergent on a standard setting. As soon as you might be positive that your scrubs are free from any stains, they have to be washed once more with sizzling water and a shade protected bleach. After they’ve been washed, scrubs needs to be put within the dryer on the very best warmth setting for half-hour to make sure that any remaining contaminants are killed.

Get a Flu Vaccine

The flu shot is your first line of protection on the subject of avoiding the continually evolving flu virus. Whereas not an absolute assure that you’ll not contract a pressure of the flu, people which are vaccinated expertise considerably shorter durations of sickness compared with those that don’t obtain the vaccine. After the vaccine has been administered, it could possibly take as much as two weeks on your physique to construct immunity. Most well being consultants advocate getting the flu shot by the final week of October to make sure that your physique has acquired immunity earlier than the height of flu season (sometimes December via February).

Keep House

If you end up sick this chilly and flu season, staying house is the best choice for regaining optimum well being shortly. If you are residence convalescing, just remember to are getting loads of relaxation and consuming a lot of fluids. Whereas making the choice to remain residence isn’t a straightforward one, it is very important do not forget that you’ll do extra hurt than good by going into work sick. Moreover, you’ll have the ability to return to work extra shortly and also you’ll be extra productive at work for those who take the time to heal first.

The content material of this weblog put up is meant as normal info solely. For extra detailed private recommendation, contact a professional medical practitioner that’s aware of your medical historical past.