8 Ways To Avoid Getting Sick In College

If you're trying to avoid getting sick in college, we've got you covered. Check out these easy tips and tricks to not get sick!

Getting sick at college only happens at one time and one time only: the most inconvenient one. Every. Single. Semester. It doesn’t matter if it’s finals week, an event, or going off-campus with your best friend. If it means anything in the world to you, you get sick. Are you tired of it yet? If you are, here are eight things you can do to avoid getting sick at college.

1. Drink apple cider vinegar.

It may smell horrible, and you will probably have to pinch your nose while you chug it down really fast to keep from the tasting it the first few times. But you have to ask yourself how far you want to go to avoid getting sick at school. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure when it comes to apple cider vinegar. This is definitely a fool-proof method to avoid getting sick at college.

2. Inhale those oranges.

And by “inhale” I mean to just keep eating them like they’re candy. If you’re constantly getting sick, that means that you need to boost your immune system. One of the best and most natural ways to do this is to supply your body with the germ-fighting nutrients it needs, like Vitamin C. This can be found in many things, but the most readily available to you as a college student working with limited food choices in your cafeteria is oranges.

3. Drink tons of water.

You probably run back and forth between classes and work on a daily basis and aren’t even aware just how much—or little—water you’re drinking. With so many anxious thoughts rattling around in your head, your water intake probably isn’t one of them—but it should be. Water washes out the toxins in your body and keeps your body hydrated so it can operate in the best way it can. Sick of getting sick all the time. Try water. It’s cheap.

4. Wash your hands a lot.

We’ve heard this since elementary school, but how many of us actually do it? People touch their faces 2000 to 3000 times a day. I don’t think we have a better incentive to keep our hands clean. And no, hand sanitizer—although a wonderful convenience—doesn’t really cut it.

5. Make witch’s brew.

There’s nothing mystical about this, but it does have some potent healing powers for sore throats. As theatre majors, I and my classmates know how valuable our voices are—especially after we lose them. That’s why we use witch’s brew on a continual basis. There are a few recipes you can use to make this concoction, but the easiest and least expensive one that I’ve come across is as follows:

1 cup water

1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar

1 tsp. honey

A pinch of Cayenne pepper

1 cinnamon stick

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Boil the water, apple cider vinegar, honey, and cayenne pepper and pour it into a mug. Add cinnamon stick to sweeten brew.

6. Mix together honey and cinnamon.

This simple concoction does literally everything for you when it comes to preventing illnesses at college. Mix these two together to improve a number of things, including your immune system, heart health, and bones.

7. Take natural supplements.

These are NOT medications. These are all-natural sources that your body needs, such as multivitamins, minerals, and herbs. They may look like pills, but they are packed with concoctions to boost your immunity and cognitive functions. And, unlike pills, they don’t have harmful side effects.

8. Get plenty of sleep.

There is more to getting sleep than conking out at your desk. I’m talking about real sleep where you actually pillow your head and designate at least six hours of rest to recharge your mind and body. Not the kind of cat nap sleep that we have trained ourselves to do, like taking a twenty-five minute power nap at two in the morning and then waking up to finish your project in the six hours you have left before your eight o’clock class. If you wear your body out on a consistent basis without getting adequate rest, you’re just asking to get sick at college.

Follow these eight tips if you’re serious about not getting sick at college. Of course, our bodies can only be so strong, and they will give way to sickness every once in a while. But with these tips, you will definitely get sick much less. And just a little bit of common sense can go a long way, too.