Take Good Care of Your Health This Winter

As Wintertime draws near, it’s important to think about how you’re going to protect your health this season. If you’ve ever noticed that you seem to get more colds in Winter or you’re more at risk from the flu, you’re not alone. Of course, the added worry of COVID-19 means that people are even more motivated to protect their health this Winter. With this in mind, take a look at these top tips for taking good care of yourself and protecting your health this season:

Boost Your Immune System

A good immune system will help you to fight off bugs and viruses, so you should, in theory anyway, get sick less often when your immunity is high. What’s more – when your immune system is functioning well, any illnesses you do experience should be less severe and pass more quickly.

Luckily, you can boost your immune system simply by eating the right foods. Garlic, red bell peppers, ginger, citrus fruits, broccoli, kiwi, green tea, and live yogurt at all great immunity-boosting foods, so try to incorporate them into your diet if you want to optimize your health this Winter.

Check Your Vitamin D Levels

Vitamin D is an essential nutrient that our bodies need to keep bones, muscles, and teeth healthy. However, we get the majority of our vitamin D from the sun, which means it’s easy to become deficient in wintertime when there are fewer hours of sunlight.

You can supplement your vitamin D levels with supplements but it’s important to ensure you’re not taking too much. A quick blood test can tell you what your current levels are, which makes it easier to determine how many supplements you need to take. If getting to your doctor’s office is a hassle, why not learn more about at-home blood draw services? With experienced phlebotomists, fast processing times, and accurate results, this can be the most convenient way to have any type of blood test.

Spend Time Outdoors

When it’s cold, wet, and windy, going outside may not seem like a great idea to most people reading this. In fact, many people assume that spending time outdoors in bad weather can actually increase your chances of getting sick. Providing you wear the right clothing, however, spending time outdoors during Winter can be beneficial for your health.

Although illnesses can spread more easily during Winter, this is often because we spend more time indoors with other people, where it’s easier for illnesses to be passed from one person to another. By spending more time outdoors, you can continue to be active every day, enjoy nature, and breathe in the fresh air.

Use a Light Box

If you notice you feel a little low during wintertime, it could be down to the reduced natural light you’re exposed to. Known as seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, symptoms can range from low mood or heightened anxiety to feelings of despair and a lack of interest in day-to-day activities.

It’s believed that natural light helps to increase serotonin levels, so, when we’re exposed to less light in the Winter, our serotonin levels drop which has an impact on our emotional well-being. Fortunately, you can rectify this using a SAD lamp or lightbox. These use at least 10,000 lux of light to mimic natural sunlight, which can help to eradicate the symptoms you’re experiencing. Most people use them for around 20-60 minutes a day, although individual needs do vary.

Protect Your Skin

The colder temperatures and increased moisture in the air can cause your skin to dry out, which means it’s important to maintain a regular skincare routine. Switching from a light moisturizing lotion to a heavier cream may also be a good idea.

Your face and hands may be most prone to dry or dehydrated skin in the Winter, as these areas are most exposed to the elements. By wearing gloves and moisturizing your skin frequently throughout the day, you can keep it soft and supple, regardless of how bad the weather is.

Ventilate Indoor Space

Germs can spread more easily in the Winter because we spend more time indoors. If indoor space isn’t properly ventilated, it’s easier for one person to inadvertently transmit an illness to someone else. In highly populated areas, like offices or schools, it’s not surprising that germs can spread so easily when indoor spaces aren’t properly ventilated.

Although keeping a window open on a cold day may not seem like a great idea, it can be an effective way to increase ventilation and reduce the risk of getting sick. In addition to this, you may want to use an air purifier to help keep indoor spaces, such as your office, well-ventilated. A dehumidifier can also be a good idea, as this will help to extract excess moisture from the air, which can help to reduce allergy symptoms.