Habits That Increase Your Flu Risk

The flu season is definitely in full swing. You may not have it yet, but many of your family members, friends and co-workers may already be suffering from it. So how can you let the flu season run its course without you ending up infected just like the rest? By avoiding the following habits that can increase your likelihood of having it:

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Failure to Wash Your Hands Frequently

During the flu season, the influenza virus is everywhere. It’s on doorknobs, computer keyboards, copy machines, vending machine buttons, ATMs, restaurant menus, bus or train handrails, light switches and many others. Touching all of these things and not washing your hands afterwards can definitely make you highly susceptible to having the flu.

 

Saying No to Having a Bottle of Hand Sanitizer

Of course no one has access to soap and water all the time. However, this does not mean that there is nothing you can do to keep your hands influenza virus-free at any given moment or place. Whether it’s the flu season or not, it is certainly a good idea for you to have a tiny bottle of hand sanitizer in your purse or backpack. See to it that it is alcohol-based to be effective against influenza virus and other microbes — and remember to use it as often as possible!

 

Habitually Touching Your Face

Is it your habit to touch your mouth, nose and eyes? During the flu season, try your best to ditch the said compulsion. Nothing else can leave you infected with the flu faster than allowing your very much likely contaminated fingertips to come into contact with your mouth, nose and eyes. If you can’t turn your back on the habit, then make sure that you take the couple of entries above very seriously in order to save yourself from having the flu.

 

Staying Chummy with Infected Individuals

People who are down with the flu are the number one sources of the influenza virus. This is exactly the reason why coming into contact with them can considerably increase your odds of becoming infected as well. During the flu season, it is perfectly understandable to keep your distance from family and friends with flu. But if it breaks your heart very much to avoid the people you care about, just make sure that you put on a surgical mask and thoroughly wash your hands after coming into contact with them or any object that they touched or sneezed on.

 

Public Establishment Hopping

The flu makes a person feel so unwell, and that’s why infected people stay in bed. However, many of those who are already infected but are not yet showing signs and symptoms as well as those who think they’re already well and cannot anymore infect others can be found at the malls, restaurants and other public establishments. It’s exactly due to this why you should try to stay indoors as much as you can if you want to keep your flu risk down to a minimum.

 

Unhealthy Eating Habits and Lifestyle

Having a strong immune system during the flu season can help save you from getting infected. See to it that your everyday diet consists of fruits and vegetables that pack immune boosting-nutrients, most especially vitamin C. You should also avoid smoking and drinking alcohol, staying up late and having high stress levels as all of these things can weaken your immune system, making you susceptible to having the flu.

 

Forgetting to Get a Flu Shot

Last but not the least, getting a flu shot can effectively keep an infection at bay. So before the flu season arrives, make sure that you get vaccinated to stay protected against the clutches of the influenza virus.

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