Tips for Illini during Cold and Flu Season

Tips for Illini during Cold and Flu Season As the leaves start to turn pretty colors and the temperature starts to drop, that means people will start coughing and sneezing. Although coughing and sneezing are natural bodily functions, these are signs that people are catching the cold or the flu. When youre in college, youre surrounded by thousands of people every day, which can make you vulnerable to germs. But, no one wants to end up like this: However, if you do end up like this guy, McKinley Health Center provides free Cold and Flu Packs to students with a valid I-Card. A Cold and Flu Pack is bag of goodies that include cough drops, Advil, and other things to help you get over the cold and flu. Heres some of the most helpful tips to help take care of yourself while you do have a cold or flu. Get Lots of Sleep:  Theres nothing better than catching those zs. Sleep helps maintain and restore energy levels in the body, which will help combat the sickness. Wash Your Hands: We learned to do this when we were little, but its worth reminding everyone that its important to wash your hands. Wash your hands with soap and sing the ABCs while doing it. The length of time it takes you to sing the song should be how long you should be washing your hands for. Maybe you can sound like Justin Timberlake if you wash your hands enough. Do The Vampire Cough:  When we were kids, we were taught to cough into your hands. However, its a better idea to cough into your elbow because coughing into your hands and then shaking hands with someone is spreading germs. But, people are less likely to touch elbows than hands. I call it the vampire cough because it looks like Im wearing a vampire cape when coughing. Stay healthy Illini! Daniel Class of 2018 I’m an Advertising major in the College of Media. I’m from a northwest suburb of Chicago called Buffalo Grove. I chose Illinois because it was the first university in the entire world to offer an Advertising major, which is pretty cool!