Is there a surefire way to avoid getting bronchitis?
While you should focus on trying your best not to get sick, after a while you should also become part of the people that avoid getting bronchitis like it’s the plague!
Do not get us wrong. Bronchitis is not the plague, but it can come along with a ton of side effects that you are not going to want to deal with in the long run.
In reality, bronchitis is not a disease per se, but rather more of a symptom.
It refers to inflammation of the lining of the bronchial tubes, which bring air to the lungs. Dealing with inflammation in that area can lead to further complications than you would want.
There is not a specific, singled-out germ that will give you bronchitis since it can be caused by a number of factors and diseases.
Not only that, but some of them can be spread, while some cannot, and you can develop this symptom even after a cold or the flu.
Since it can be easily contracted, especially with a lowered immune system, there is no definite way to eliminate the possibility of contracting it, but there are certain ways in which you can lower the risks and make sure that this cold season does not end up with you bedridden or in the hospital!
What’s more, if you are in the risk group (which includes, among others, older adults, children, and people who have asthma), you need to make sure that you take note of all the preventative measures here and that you put them into practice!
Keep on reading to discover them!
Avoid Touching Your Face
This is one of the things that we have learned during the COVID-19 pandemic, but it rings true when it comes to all things cold and disease-related.
The less you touch your face, the less likely it is to spread any sort of germs on your hands to your nose, eyes, and mouth, which are wet areas that can easily aid you in getting sick.
Bronchitis can easily be contracted, and since it can be spread through a lot of different means, this means that you need to be on top of your game when it comes to it and keep it under control.
And while it is a good practice to hold all year round, when the cold season comes, you should make a point of avoiding touching your face, even if you have just disinfected your hands.
Soon enough it will become a reflex, and you will not even be compelled to bring your hand up!
Wash Your Hands Thoroughly and Often
Another important tip we have learned from the pandemic that is one of the most important ones when it comes to all viral illnesses is that you need to wash your hands!
This is non-negotiable, and when it comes to the flu season, you need to make sure that you wash them as frequently as you can.
It is even more important that you wash your hands when you are preparing food, before you eat, after you come back home, after using public transport, after blowing your nose, and especially after tending to someone you know is sick (both before and after).
Before you think this is excessive, remember just how much easier it is to wash your hands a little bit more when compared to being bedridden with a viral lung inflammation.
No one wants that, so washing your hands more often is a small price to pay.
And make sure you’re doing it right! Do not neglect the back of your hands, under your nails, and between your fingers, and do this for at least 20 seconds!
If you are out and about and you cannot wash your hands, make sure that you carry hand sanitizer that has an alcohol percentage of at least 60.
This one has been a favorite of ours during the height of the pandemic, and we still use it to this day!
Get a Flu Shot
The flu shot is something you should be getting every year, no matter if you are in a risk group or not.
It lowers the chances of getting sick with the flu and as a result, you also lower your chances of getting bronchitis.
Likewise, even if you end up getting sick after you get the shot, your chances of getting huge complications are way lower, your symptoms will be milk and the chances of developing bronchitis are less prominent.
Last year, the CDC reported over 47,000 deaths due to influenza, since they have contracted pneumonia, which can also be developed from bronchitis.
Keep yourself and your loved ones safe and get the annual flu shot!
Don’t Overexert Yourself
It is important to keep active in order to keep your immune system in good health, but when you start to overdo it, it can lead to certain issues.
Not only will it be counterproductive since you are overexerting yourself, but it can lead to you actually contracting the likes of the cold or the flu.
This is because research has shown that moderate exercise will end up improving people’s immune function, which can lead to lower risks of contracting respiratory infections like bronchitis.
If you overdo it and you do intense exercises over a long period of time, you will have the opposite effect; your overexertion will lead to a suppressed immune system, which in turn will leave you vulnerable to viral infections.
Everything is indeed better in moderation, and you should always strive to keep active, but within your physical limits and energy levels.
Maintain Your Immune System Strong
Speaking of the immune system, you should aim to keep it as strong as possible.
Besides making sure you keep active in moderation, you should also make a point out of keeping a healthy diet, getting a good night’s sleep, and trying to limit how stressed you are.
Scientists have unveiled that the more stressed you are, the more likely it is that you are going to get a cold!
However, healthy habits, like exercise, good eating practices, and resting, can aid your immune system in fighting off any viral infections and germs that may try to attack it.
Consider taking some supplements, like vitamin C and zinc
To make sure that your immune system is more prepared to fight off all the germs and viral infections out there in the cold season, you should consider taking some supplements.
The two that have been proven through research and studies to be the most helpful are vitamin C and zinc.
In the right dosages (which you should discuss with your primary care doctor), the two will help you ward off any colds that come your way.
In the case of vitamin C, while it will not stop the cold from coming your way, it will aid you in lowering the intensity of the symptoms and the duration.
Likewise, since the symptoms will not be as severe, you are less likely to get bronchitis.
Likewise, for zinc, studies have shown that if you take zinc lozenges after your first cold or flu symptoms, you can reduce the duration in which you are sick.
Studies recommend a daily dosage of 1,000 mg of vitamin C and 40 mg of zinc as preventative daily supplements during the flu season, but you should ask your doctor before you start any course of treatment.
Keep your environment clean
Another way to ensure that you do not end up contracting bronchitis is to keep your environment clean.
The flu virus can live up to 48 hours on most surfaces after someone infected comes in contact with them.
This is why it is so easy to get the virus on your hand, and by touching your face, you can end up getting infected.
During the flu and cold seasons (even if it should be a common occurrence), you should start wiping down the most commonly touched surfaces in your home with disinfectant.
It is even more important to do this if someone in the family has gotten bronchitis or is coming down with something, in order to protect the rest of the home from any illness.
And since we have touched on it already, we should make sure that you do not believe the most out-there flu shot myths! While not everyone falls for misinformation, sometimes it spreads like wildfire, and accidentally believing a myth can put your health in serious jeopardy. To stay informed, read: Believing These 8 Flu Shot Myths May Put Your Health at Risk.
