What’s worse than being wet, chilly and light-deprived? Being wet, chilly, light-deprived and sick. Here are 14 ways to stave off colds and the flu – or bounce back if it’s already too late
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s the weather cools, along come colds, the flu and a plethora of other bugs, often transmitted through public transport or small children. Such seasonal delights are already troubling Britain. And then there are the mental health challenges associated with this time of year. How can you avoid spending the next few months feeling unwell? Here, GPs give their advice on the best ways to stay healthy in the winter.
“Winter is a tricky time,” says Dr Babak Ashrafi, a GP who works for Superdrug and is based in London. “Short days, chilly air and a lot of time spent indoors with other people and their germs. My advice is to think of health as a three-legged stool: sleep, nutrition and movement. If one leg gets wobbly, the whole thing will tip over.”
“People often wonder if there is something they can take, or something different they can do, to stay healthy over winter,” adds Dr Helen Salisbury, a GP in Oxford. “Really it is a question of doing the same things that you might do the rest of the year: exercise, sleep, eat healthily, and try not to consume too much alcohol.”
