How rude.
With cold and flu season underway, one would hope others would be considerate enough to cough and sneeze into the crook of their elbow, slowing down the spread of contagious droplets into the air nearby.
Unfortunately, we can’t control other people’s gross behavior — so if the worst does happen and you’ve gotten a face full of someone else’s infectious fluids, here’s exactly what you should do to slash your changes of getting sick.
Dr. Jessica Kiss, a board-certified family doctor in Torrance, California said on TikTok that you’re not necessarily doomed to suffer an infection — especially if you’re smart about it.
She shared her top tips for what to do right after exposure to a cold, flu or Covid, or some other respiratory illness this fall and winter.
1. Don’t touch your face
“This is key,” she said. “Avoid that urge until you are somewhere you can actually clean it.”
She explained that touching your face after being exposed to a sneeze or cough spreads the germs faster by letting them enter through your nose, mouth, eyes or ears.
2. Get washing
You can reduce the risk of bacteria or viruses spreading by first washing your hands — and then using those clean hands to wash your face.
She recommends doing this ASAP, even in a public bathroom.
3. Flush out your nose
Next, rinse out your nasal passage with nasal saline or sterilized water as soon as possible. Using a neti pot or premade nasal spray bottle can help flush out any bacteria or viruses lingering around up there.
“You want to get rid of those germs as much as humanly possible, as quickly as you can, before they start replicating,” Kiss said.
From from the nose down through the throat is “where the magic happens,” meaning bacteria can easily multiply and grow in the moist environment of the nose, mouth and throat.
Research has also shown that nasal sprays or rinses can reduce cold symptoms like cough, sore throat and runny nose.
A good nasal rinse can even shorten the length of illnesses like the common cold or Covid.
“Immune systems come in contact with these kinds of things all the time and they do some of that work for you,” she said. “But you are giving it a big boost by getting rid of as much of it as possible.”
4. Take supplements
This one’s less of a sure thing, but if want to throw every possible solution at the problem, supplements like vitamin C, vitamin D and zinc might help boost your immunity against colds.
Taking vitamin C doesn’t stop colds from happening, but some research suggests it could reduce symptoms. Research is also mixed on whether vitamin D and zinc actually do anything for colds — although some studies support that they may reduce how often people get sick and the severity of illness.
5. Get more sleep
“Literally all functions of the body work better when your body is rested,” Kiss said. “[It’s better when you’re] not tired to the point you have bags you could sleep in under your eyes.”
And plenty of sleep — the recommended seven to nine hours for adults — has been shown to support the immune system so you’re less likely to catch a cold.
6. Wear a mask
Kiss’ last tip to prevent getting sick? Wear a mask so you’re less likely to inhale those germs in the first place.
