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Prioritizing sleep, managing stress, and eating a balanced diet are just a few ways to help prevent colds and other illnesses.
You may not be able to avoid getting sick 100% of the time. Some risk factors are inevitable, like being present in public spaces such as your workplace or the grocery store.
But there are a few things you can do to decrease your risk and improve your overall quality of life in the process. Here are 12 tips for preventing colds and the flu.
1. Eat fruits and vegetables
Fruits and vegetables are rich in:
vitamins
minerals
antioxidants
These nutrients can help you maintain a balanced diet and support your immune system. Nutritional deficiencies can increase your risk of infection.
2. Get vitamins
Deficiencies in vitamins A and D are associated with an increased risk of infection. Some food sources of these vitamins include, but are not limited to:
vegetables such as sweet potatoes, carrots, broccoli, and spinach yogurt and kefir
fruits such as mangoes, red bell peppers, and cantaloupe milk
chicken breast and beef liver fish, including salmon, tuna, and sardines
dairy products mushrooms treated with UV light
eggs fortified foods, such as orange juice
If you can’t meet your daily recommended intake through your diet alone, you can also buy supplements at your local grocery store or pharmacy.
Even though these supplements are available over the counter, it is important to talk with your doctor to ensure they are necessary before taking any new supplement.
3. Get enough sleep
Getting adequate sleep may help your immune system defend against infectionsTrusted Source. On the other hand, sleep deprivation can increase your risk of contracting infectious diseases.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the average adult needs at least 7 hoursTrusted Source of sleep per night.
One reason may be that the body releases cytokines during extended periods of sleep. Cytokines are proteins that help the body fight infection by regulating the immune system.
Improving your sleep
Check out this article on how to set up your bedroom for sleep.
4. Consume alcohol in moderation
Frequently consuming alcohol may lead to an increased susceptibility to infection.
A 2025 studyTrusted Source found that consuming both very low and very high amounts of alcohol was associated with an increased risk of:
acquiring infection
ICU admission
death from infection
However, the study found that consuming alcohol in moderation was not associated with an increased risk.
5. Manage stress
Chronic stress may decrease immune function.
While stress cannot be avoided altogether, avoiding stressors when possible and learning how to cope with stress in a healthy way when it arises can help you better manage it.
Strategies to manage stress
meditation or yoga
journaling
calling a friend
going outside
engaging in hobbies, such as crafting
6. Drink green tea
Some of the compounds found in green tea may help protect against bacterial infections. However, more research is needed to come to a definitive conclusion.
Recipes with green tea
Check out this roundup of green tea recipes, including energy bites and smoothie bowls.
7. Get a flu vaccine
The CDCTrusted Source recommends that all people over six months of age get a yearly flu vaccine. This is especially true for those who are at a higher risk of developing complications from the flu. Getting a flu shot can decrease the risk of contracting the flu and lessen the severity of the illness if it does occur.
A good time to get the flu shot is between September to OctoberTrusted Source, ideally having got your shot by the end of October.
The CDC does not recommend one type of flu shot over the other for most adults under 65 years of age.
8. Practice good hygiene
Limiting your exposure to illness by avoiding germs is key to remaining healthy. Here are some other ways to practice good hygiene:
Shower daily.
Wash your hands before eating or preparing food.
Wash your hands before inserting contact lenses or performing any other activity that brings you in contact with your eyes or mouth.
Wash your hands for 20 seconds and scrub under your fingernails.
Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing.
Carry an alcohol-based hand cleaner for on-the-go use. Disinfect shared surfaces, such as keyboards, telephones, doorknobs, and remote controls.
Takeaway
Staying healthy is more than just practicing a few good techniques when you don’t feel well. It involves eating fruits and vegetables, managing stress, and getting enough sleep on a regular basis.
While you cannot eliminate the risk of getting sick completely, taking these steps may help decrease it.
Ice chips or popsicles can also help soothe your sore throat.
Here are some other ways to up your fluid intake and soothe areas most affected by colds.
Drink warm liquids (and chicken soup!)
It turns out chicken soup really may help when you have a cold.
According to an article in the Pan Asian Journal of Medical Education, chicken soup has anti-inflammatory properties that may help to improve airflow resistance in the nasal passages, making it easier to breathe when you have a cold.
Ways to do it
Chicken soups that are low in sodium and have other ingredients in them like carrots, celery, and onions can be super-soothing when you have a cold. So can sipping on hot teas or just warm water.
Some people also enjoy sipping warm water with lemon juice, honey, and even ginger added to it.
So long, sore and scratchy throats.
A spoonful of honey can help to reduce the incidence of cough when you’ve got a cold. Best of all, it can work for children too (just avoid in those younger than 12 months).
An article published in The Journal of Family PracticeTrusted Source reported that honey given at bedtime helped to reduce coughing in children. The article noted several different honey types were tested, and all helped to reduce the incidence of coughing.
Use a humidifier or vaporizer to ease breathing
Humidifiers and vaporizers are sold at most drugstores. They add moisture to the air, which can help to loosen mucus and ease breathing.
Ways to do it
A lot of people will turn their humidifier on in the evening before bed when coughing seems to worsen.
If you have little ones at home, use a cool-mist vaporizer. Humidifiers with heating elements and hot water could burn a child if their curious hands tipped it over. Always read the manufacturer’s recommendations on cleaning any device to reduce the risks for mold and bacterial growth.
Use a saline nasal spray
Saline nasal sprays can possibly help relieve nasal congestion and stuffiness in those with colds, according to a review by The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.
You can purchase saline nasal sprays over the counter or make your own at home.
Here are some quick steps for making your own saline solution:
Boil one cup of tap water or use one cup of sterile water in a clean container.
Add a half-teaspoon of salt and a half-teaspoon of baking soda to the water. Mix and pour into a medical syringe or clean nasal spray bottle.
If tap water was used, after boiling it, let the mix cool to room temperature.
Insert the syringe into your nose, aiming the tip toward the back of your head while tilting your head to the side over a sink or while in the shower.
Depress the spray bottle or syringe plunger. You should find the water comes out your other nostril or out your mouth.
Gently blow your nose.
Wash your hands and clean the syringe after each use.
The saline solution may cause a slight tingling or burning sensation at first. Using the solution more than once a day can help to get rid of thick mucus in the nose.
For more tips on safely and effectively rinsing your sinuses, read here.
Saline solutions aren’t just good for stuffed noses — they help with sore throats too.
Ways to do it
Using the same saline, baking soda, and sterile water mixture mentioned above, you can create a saltwater gargle.
Pour the solution in your mouth and gargle it in the back of your throat, making an “ahhh” sound. Spit out the water after gargling. The warmth should soothe your sore throat.
It may be easiest to do this close to a sink or shower, in case you need to quickly spit the gargle out. It can cause a tickle in the back of the throat the first time.
For more on saltwater gargles, read here.
Note that little children aren’t usually able to get the saltwater gargle technique down. You may have to wait until they’re seven or older to try this method.
Take a zinc supplement
A review of 18 clinical trials on zinc and the common cold suggested that taking zinc within 24 hours of your cold symptoms could help to reduce the cold’s duration.
People who took zinc or used zinc lozenges at doses of 75 milligrams a day or more usually had fewer days of sniffling and sneezing than those who didn’t.
The researchers didn’t recommend taking zinc to prevent colds. There currently isn’t enough data to support that concept.
Remember that higher zinc dosages can cause symptoms like nausea or a bad taste in your mouth. As a result, you may have to balance the benefits with the side effects.
Take over-the-counter pain relievers
Over-the-counter (OTC) pain relievers like ibuprofen, acetaminophen, or naproxen can help to reduce body aches and headaches that often accompany colds.
Use one type of pain reliever medication at a time.
If you’re treating a child’s cold, don’t give them aspirin if they’re under the age of 18 due to risks for a condition called Reye’s syndrome.
Consider decongestants for stuffy noses
Decongestant pills or nasal sprays can help to dry up extra mucus. This can reduce the effects of a stuffy nose or hard-to-cough up mucus. Most oral decongestants contain either phenylephrine or pseudoephedrine.
LYou shouldn’t use most decongestant nasal sprays, such as oxymetazoline, more than three days in a row.
If you have side effects like dizziness or problems sleeping, you may want to discontinue them.
Try cough drops or lozenges
Cough drops can help to keep the throat from drying out. They also can contain ingredients that attempt to minimize cold symptoms.
While little ones may love the idea of a hard-candy like substance, it’s best to avoid lozenges until they’re older and won’t choke on them.
Rest
While this may seem like a basic recommendation, it’s a good one. Allowing your body the time it needs to heal by sleeping and resting can help you feel better.
A few days of rest can mean you get back on your feet faster in the long run.
Things that won’t help
There are lots of remedies rumored to help reduce your cold. But despite a lot of research, the following methods don’t really help reduce the duration or symptoms of a cold.
Antibiotics: Rhinoviruses are the most common causes of colds. Antibiotics won’t kill off viruses, so taking antibiotics for a cold will likely only destroy healthy bacteria in your body. If you still feel sick after 10 to 14 days, or have a fever higher than 101.5°F, your doctor may start to suspect a bacterial infection instead of a cold.
Echinacea: Echinacea is a plant some people incorporate into teas or herbal supplements to treat the common cold. A review of researchTrusted Source found that echinacea hasn’t been shown to have positive benefits in treating colds when compared to a placebo.
Garlic: Like echinacea, there isn’t a lot of researchTrusted Source to suggest that garlic can help reduce symptoms or duration of a common cold.
Tobacco smoking: If there was ever a time to avoid smoking, having a cold is it. The smoke can further irritate your lungs, making coughing worse. You should also avoid secondhand smoke and other irritants, such as cleaning chemicals or kerosene.
The takeaway
The common cold may be a nuisance, but it is self-limiting. You’ll usually start to feel better in a few days and be back to your normal activities.
If you’re taking any OTC medications, including cough drops, check labels for ingredients and dosing instructions so you don’t take too much in a day.
In the meantime, make sure you wash your hands frequently and cover your sneezes and coughs to make sure you don’t spread your cold to others.
Credit | Healthline Media
Courtesy of: Christian Church World News™ CCWN Television Network International
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