It’s very normal for people to develop colds in the winter and late fall, right? It seems like everyone gets a little case of the sniffles, some cases worse than others. However, just in the past week I have noticed that the number of colds and the severity of each case is MUCH higher in college than I ever remember it being in high school. I would like to dedicate this blog to documenting how to survive cold season in college, particularly when living in a dorm.
First of all, there are many factors that contribute to the increased number of colds in college. Number one is probably lack of sleep. Increased homework loads and social activities take up more time than ever before and guess what – there are still only 24 hours in a day. Living in the dorms, there are many more items that are shared with many more people than one is usually accustomed to in high school. Shared objects in the dorm such as doorknobs, remotes, etc. are perfect places for germs along with even more trafficked areas such as floor bathrooms, study tables and computer labs.
Even though the germs are out to get you, there are many things you can do to keep those dirty suckers away. First and foremost is making sure you get enough sleep. This along with a healthy diet, regular exercise, and a daily vitamin will help keep your immune system in tip-top shape. Also, washing your hands and using antibacterial hand lotion as often as possible will help reduce the amount of germs that make it to you. (A note about antibacterial lotion: Purdue kindly provides a dispenser at the entrance to the major dining halls to help you stay healthy – use it!) Also, get antibacterial wipes to wipe down work areas and shared areas around your living space – it’s cheap, easy, and it really helps. Hopefully I’ll be able to take my own advice and stay healthy in spite of the 12 snotty coughers in my hall whose germs are on a rampage!
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3 comments:
Though I agree with you that it is important to maintain a healthy diet, get enough sleep, exercise, etc. I would not recommend heavily using antibacterial soap. You see that particular type of soap forces bacteria to adapt, become stronger, and eventually survive contact with it.
Companies that produce antibacterial soaps continually have to increase the potency of their products to be effective germ killers. In a way, they are contributing to the strengthening of bacteria, such that in the future common bacteria could be fatal for highly vulnerable people like the elderly or newborn.
In addition to forcing bacteria to become stronger, antibacterial soap is completely blind to its foe. In other words, it will kill not just harmful bacteria, but also that which carries out the normal functions of the body, like digestion or metabolism. In a study conducted by Annals of Internal Medicine, researchers found that users of antibacterial soap get sick just as often as people who don't.
I would highly recommend spending some extra time researching the effects of antibacterial soap on the immune system. Perhaps you will realize that you need to make some revisions to your piece. Other than that I think you did a nice job. Stay Healthy!
I think your ideas for staying heathy were very good. I know that already the main thing I need to try to do is get more sleep. Already I am no good at this and I just hope it won't come back to haunt me later. I have also noticed taht it seems that college has more colds. Maybe it is just because there are simply more people, but when I was doing one of my exams this week the most annoying sound to be heard was teh all but constact coughing, sniffling, and sneezing going on around me.
I've actually had a runny nose for the past 3 days. I'ts so annoying, mostly cuz it's only my left nostril but anyway...i definately agree with your ideas for keeping healthy, i do all of those activities, minus sleep sometimes, but i guess sometimes you just get colds. honestly i think my case might just be because of allergies. with the termperature being annoyingly hot, and no rain, there is so much pollen floating around.
Thanks for the reassuring guidelines!
Go GermX!
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