How to protect your family from getting sick this season?
Photo by Matteo Fusco on Unsplash
The flu season is a very scary season. When the people in your home are sick, it can end up making your life miserable. Plus, you hate to see your family not feeling well. When it comes to illnesses, the best offense is a good defense. Take action now to stop anyone from getting sick later. You may not be able to prevent all illnesses in your home, but you can do the best you can. Here are some ways to help protect your family from getting sick this season.
Get everyone a flu shot
The flu shot is a shot specifically designed to protect you and your family from getting the flu. It works like an immunization. The shot injects a little bit of the flu into the system so that the body can recognize it and fight it. The shot is generally covered by insurance as preventative medicine for you and everyone else covered by your insurance. You should get it about a month before the flu season starts for the year. You don’t even have to go to the doctor. Many pharmacies offer the flu shot right on site.
Improve air quality
The things in the air of your home can start to irritate your loved ones’ respiratory systems. Polluted air can also contribute to the people in your home getting sick. You could have chemicals, radon, pet dander, dust, and a number of other particles people are breathing in. If you want to improve the air quality in your home, get an air purifier, clean the filter of your HVAC system, and clean regularly with a quality vacuum such as Miele vacuums.
Wash hands regularly
If you have kids, you know that they get into everything. Not everything they get into is healthy for them. Plus, they are usually around a number of other kids throughout the day who are just crawling with diseases themselves. You need to be diligent about getting the kids to wash their hands regularly. They should learn to wash their hands before and after handling food, after playing with pets, and after playing outside. Train them to the point where they do it even when you aren’t around. You should also set a good example for yourself. If you do it, your children will be more likely to follow.
Maintain boundaries when someone is sick
When someone does get sick, you need to make sure they don’t get anyone else sick. This means keeping them away from healthy people in their own room. Help make the room comfy and conducive to healing. You will also have to clean vigorously when they do come out and touch things. One sick person in the household is more than enough.
Clean regularly
It’s important to clean your home regularly. This will help pick up any dust mites and even germs. Vacuum and do laundry regularly. You should also wipe everything down with an antibacterial cleanser at least once a week. If your home is clean, your children will be clean. They won’t be putting dirty fingers into their mouth to get them sick.
Eat healthy food
Most kids would like to eat pizza and ice cream for every meal. Heck, most adults would like to eat pizza and ice cream for every meal. However, there’s a reason it’s called “junk food”. Your body needs nutrients. Nutrients come from fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein. Processed foods don’t have these nutrients. While you don’t need to cut junk food out completely, you should add more healthy food to your grocery list and hit the drive-thru a little less.
Sleep well
Sleep is vital to our health. If the body doesn’t get the rest it needs, the immune system won’t be able to fight off the diseases that enter the body. Adults need about 7-9 hours of sleep every night. Children need even more. Stick to a bedtime and get rid of electronics at this time to help prevent them from being distracted.
You and your family don’t necessarily have to get sick if you take action now. No one wants to get sick, so get everyone else on board. When everybody is in on the plan together, it will make it easier to execute.