Can Daily Habits Prevent Illness?

Getting sick is a drag. Not only do people feel terrible during the infection, but illness represents a real cost. Missing work for individual sickness or to care for a child or partner, and being under the weather are real issues. Adopting routine healthy habits can help people avoid getting sick and more importantly spreading common illnesses. These 5 easy behaviors can help.

1. Proper handwashing matters

One of the easiest ways to avoid getting sick or passing germs is to practice proper handwashing. A person touches an object, then moves to rub a nose or eyes before handling another item. While the act seems minor, for highly communicable diseases like the flu, common cold, or COVID-19, community spread is a primary reason for quick spread. Proper handwashing involves using soap and water to create a bubbly lather. Don’t forget to clean between fingers and under nails, where germs can hide. Ideally, wash for at least 20 seconds. If clean water and soap aren’t available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.

2. Mind the sneeze

Along with poor handwashing, not properly covering noses and mouths when sneezing or coughing is another issue. According to the experts, droplets released from a cough can travel as far as 50 miles while a sneeze sends that saliva as far as 200 miles. So, knowing how to safely cover a cough or sneeze matters. Avoid using hands since the risk of touching items afterwards is higher. The ideal option is to use a tissue but if none are available, cough or sneeze into the bend of the arm. People who have been coughing or sneezing a lot are encouraged to wash hands frequently.

3. Focus on a healthier diet

If health is wealth then a better nutritionally balanced diet is the foundation for keeping sickness at bay. Research continually proves that a meal plan rich in fruits and vegetables as well as lean proteins, legumes, nuts, and whole proteins produces the fuel the body needs to reinforce the immune system. Experts recommend integrating cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, kale, Brussels sprouts and cauliflower to further support immunity.

4. Get enough sleep

Similarly, poor sleep can also be linked with an increase in illness. While sleep alone can’t prevent a person from getting sick, research suggests that getting the recommended 7-9 hours of nightly sleep, along with adopting healthier sleep habits can go a long way at reinforcing immunity. One study showed that people who consistently got less than 7 hours of sleep per night were 3 times more likely to catch a cold than people who did get enough rest.

5. Keep surfaces clean

Just like hands, high traffic surfaces need to be kept clean. Depending on the bacteria or virus, germs can live on surfaces for hours after being touched. Typically soap and water is enough but experts recommend being more thorough and disinfecting high traffic areas like kitchens and bathrooms. Likewise, if a person in the household does get sick, focus on disinfecting areas where that individual spent time like the living room sofa and bedroom.

From behavior to habit

Research suggests people require roughly 66 days to turn a behavior into a routine habit. Many of the options listed above are low effort ways to prevent the spread of illness not just during the winter when getting sick is more frequent, but all year long. The above list isn’t exhaustive so people with specific questions on other ways to preserve and protect immunity should speak to a health care provider.