How To Stay Healthy In Winter
Staying healthy in winter is important as it can make the difference between having a happy healthy festive period or a considerably more ill and miserable one. Furthermore, there are some flus and viruses floating about over the festive period that could even lead to a more serious health condition. Therefore it is important that you protect yourself as best you can over the winter period.
Who Is The Most Vulnerable At Christmas?
Generally speaking over the winter and Christmas period the most vulnerable and susceptible to poor health are the elderly. Older people have weaker immune systems and less overall fitness and strength due to the ageing process as well as underlying health conditions.
In order to protect the elderly from poor health at Christmas there are a number of measures that can be taken to support them. If you have elderly family members or friends ensure that you take time to check in on them and ensure that they are ok and have adequate food , medicine and heat. This is especially important when there is severe cold or wet weather as this is when the elderly population can be at their most vulnerable.
Tips To Prepare For Winter
As well as the elderly population the younger population also needs to take into account the affect a harsh winter can have on peoples health as well as the wider community as a whole. Here are some of the most important tips you can take on-board in order to fully prepare for winter:
- Ensure you have an adequate supply of warm winter clothing such as winter jackets , hats , gloves , scarves etc
- Check weather forecasts before you venture out on journeys and make sure you take your mobile phone and spare food and drink
- Don’t take risks with travel. If the roads are too icy or there are weather warnings in place then try and find an alternative form of transport
- Make sure that your property is kept warm. Use draft excluders and blankets in order to ensure that it is kept as warm as possible
How To Prevent Illness Over Winter
As previously mentioned illnesses and common health issues such as the flu are particularly common over the festive period. There are a number of different things which you can do to prevent this from happening. One of the best ways in which you can prevent illness from happening over winter is eating healthily. This means eating plenty of fruit and veg as well as nuts and fibre to ensure that your immune system is kept operating at fairly high levels over winter.
In addition to dressing more warmly over winter and eating healthily there are a variety of other things which you can do to keep well over winter. One way in which you can keep illness at bay is herbal remedies. A classic winter cold remedy is known as hot toddy. This mixture is made up of honey, lemon, herbal tea or lemongrass and whisky. This mixture is best served hot and it can help to clear the airways as well as the nose thanks to its powerful properties. It has been used for generations as a way to fight common flue and other viruses.