It is that time of year again. Students are returning to school, fall is underway and flu season is back. With the mixing of students in a big, populated area and sharing common spaces, germs are bound to be passed around.
You can hear it all around campus, students and faculty sniffling and coughing in quiet classrooms and hallways. With the traditional flu season being Dec. through Feb. many people on campus may already have or are experiencing illness.
The Centers for Disease Control and Precention (CDC) have their recommended ‘health hacks’ for going back to school. One that is always very effective for staying and keeping others healthy is washing your hands. Handwashing with soap and water, even using hand sanitizer is the best way to stay healthy. Practicing good hygiene every day and multiple times a day will help prevent the spread of colds, flu and other diseases to others.
Michelle Andriacchi, assistant professor for the NMU School of Nursing and a nurse practitioner at the walk-in clinic said, “The big thing is handwashing, that’s the number one way to mitigate the spread of viruses.”
Eating well is another way to stay healthy this semester. According to the CDC, having balanced meals and maintaining a healthy weight will help prevent you from getting sick. Fresh fruits and vegetables, grains, dairy, lean meats and oils with limited portions of fats, sugars and sodium make for a healthy diet.
Now being college students, not everyone is getting the nutrition they need, so taking supplements and vitamins can also help prevent against getting sick. The NMU Food Pantry also offers some fresh food from the NMU Hoop House for those who are looking to incorporate more fresh vegetables in their diets.
There are a number of factors that go into being a successful student, which includes staying healthy, according to Katie Menard, NMU School of Nursing Associate Dean and Director. When you are sick, it is important to prioritize your health but that also can lead to extra work following the recovery. This is why it is important to prioritize wholistic health throughout the semester and prevent sickness as much as possible.
“Success at the university requires a lot of hard work, dedication and time to stay healthy and manage stress,” Menard said.
Another factor of staying healthy is getting plenty of sleep. According to Mayo Clinic, the recommended amount of sleep for adults is seven or more hours a night. Getting anything less than seven hours of sleep can lead to poor health.
A lack of sleep can have an effect on your immune system and not getting enough sleep after being exposed to a virus, even the common cold, can affect how fast you recover if you do get sick.
“[It’s important to] really take care of yourself, having well balanced nutrition and you can’t underestimate sleep,” Andriacchi said. “Sleep also helps restore your body, heal your body.”
As the semester goes on, keep these helpful tips in mind. If you do feel sick, stay home and stay in communication with your professors and instructors. If you do happen to be unwell and would like to seek help, the Northern Michigan Health Center provides a variety of medical, pharmacy and laboratory services at their new WellBeing Center. You can make an appointment here.
