There's nothing like that sinking feeling in your stomach when the realization first dawns on you: oh no, I think I'm getting sick. No one likes falling under the weather, and your mind probably filters through a variety of options when you feel that first tickle in the back of your throat.
Prime among them: is there any way out of this? If you familiarize yourself with what do when you feel yourself getting sick, it's possible there might be a solution. Sometimes, with the right steps, you can fend off illness and recover before things get too serious.
Need a run over of the basics of avoiding illness? Keep reading and we'll walk you through everything that you need to know about what to do when you feel yourself getting sick.
Identify the Illness
Normally, it's not a good idea to diagnose yourself. Everyone's gone down the rabbit hole of WebMD, googling symptoms, and assuming you have some life-ending illness. That's no fun.
However, in the case of a minor illness, getting to the bottom of things can certainly be helpful. If you know what illness you might soon be facing, you can better react with steps intended to quell the development of that particular problem. At the very least, you'll know what it is you're getting into.
Many illnesses have similar symptoms, which might make this task a little more difficult. Are a runny nose and scratchy throat indicative of a cold or the flu coming on? It might be hard to say.
If you need to, you can always reach out to mobile doctors to see if they can help diagnose you and recommend a proper treatment plan.
Drink Lots of Water
Your body runs on water. You might already know this, but being on the verge of getting sick is no time to underestimate the impact that a little H2O can have on your system. Drinking lots of water can both help to fend off sickness from occurring and even prevent oncoming colds and flu from happening.
Why is water such a miracle cold-fighter? The main reason is that water tends to moisten the body's first real line of defense, the mucus membrane. Often, these membranes trap germs before they enter into the body.
When you're dehydrated, these membranes dry out and don't work as well, meaning more germs get through into your system and can infect you. The bottom line is more water means less of a chance of getting sick, less water means more of a chance.
If you're tired of chugging straight water all day you can consider drinking water-heavy substitutes such as herbal tea or even ice pops.
Gargle Salt Water
Speaking of water, another good trick to fend of illness is to use water and a bit of salt as something of a viral tactical weapon.
Gargling salt water is an old homespun treatment for general illnesses, but it really works. When you have a sore throat, gargling salt water can comfort the feelings of pain. It can also help to reduce inflammation and irritant which may be living in the back of the throat.
Even more helpful to your future health is the fact that salt can possibly destroy bacteria or viruses that may be existing in the throat. You don't need much to do the job, maybe just a simple half-teaspoon of salt in warm water will do the trick.
You can gargle for one full minute to get the results that you want. Repeating this throughout your feelings of getting sick might be enough to send that pesky cold away completely.
Get a Lot of Rest
If you're getting sick, your body is putting a lot of resources towards attempting to fight off this oncoming illness. You need to support that struggle.
Getting plenty of rest when you're not feeling well will be the key to this task. If you're out and about when you start feeling ill, heading home and putting yourself into bed as soon as possible can greatly increase your chances of getting over the problem.
This will have the added bonus of you not spreading your germs to everyone else you're hanging out with, or those kind strangers at the supermarket.
There are a lot of helpful home remedies you can look into if you're getting sick, but at the end of the day there's really nothing like rest for your body. If you give your body plenty of rest, it can do the rest of the job of fighting off your cold or other illness.
Eat Healthily
Most people know well enough not to pull through the fast-food drive-thru when they're feeling less than stellar. Still, it's worth repeating: eating unhealthy food as you're getting sick is only going to make the problem worse.
Going for vitamin-rich foods when you're getting ill will give your body the ingredients it needs to properly fight off such infections.
Certain foods, like garlic and lemon, are even known to have extra-special virus-fighting powers. The more you can put these kinds of things in your body early on, the better off you'll be in the long-run.
What To Do When You Feel Yourself Getting Sick
If you know what to do when you feel yourself getting sick, you might be able to stave off the reality of a week-ending cold or flu. The above tips and tricks won't work 100% of the time, but employing them can help your body get over a number of small illnesses.
Need more health advice or tips? Keep scrolling our blog for more info. Visit the Healthcare and Frugal Fitness sections for more ways to affordably boost your immune system.
