Yep, it’s cold and flu season. Yayyy… Don’t you just love going to school and being surrounded by thousands of people coughing and sneezing all over the place? Oh, and then the dreaded morning you wake up with a sore throat and stuffy nose. Soooo much fun. Anyway, in case you haven’t noticed by now I’m am sick, but unlike anyone else who’s sick I can’t miss school because my high school does exemptions, but I already have two absences, so I cannot stay home and take any sick days. Also other than the fact that I can’t take any more sick days, it’s also the week before semester exams, so I kinda need to be at school to take all my final tests and quizzes of the semester. With it being cold and flu season I am sure that I’m not the only one who is sick, so here’s are my tips on how to survive school while being sick.
Drink Lots of Water
At this point if you don’t know that you’re supposed to drink a lot of water when your sick, how have you even made it this far? Anyway, one of the best ways to get better quickly is to stay hydrated and drink a lot of water. Water keeps your body hydrated, and if you have a fever it will help cool you off and rehydrate you. Also, when you have a stuffy nose a lot of water goes into the production of mucus, so you’re body needs plenty of water to replenish the water lost, and water can help break down the mucus too.
Drink Orange Juice
Orange juice is not my favorite thing to drink, but I’m weird and everyone else I know seems to like it. Orange juice is really good to drink when you’re sick because for me it has always helped soothe sore throats, but it also has lots of vitamin C which can help reduce the length and severity of your cold. So, before you leave for school in the morning have a nice, cold glass of orange juice.
Take Some Medicine
In my opinion, this should be one of the first things you do if you start to feel sick. The main medicine I take if I’m not feeling well is Advil Cold and Sinus. This stuff works great and helps clear up sinuses and reduces the fatigue that comes with being sick. I also use some nasal spray to help clear up congestion so I can breathe, and I use either throat lozenges or analgesic spray to help with a sore throat. If I have a cough I use Mucinex or just cough drops depending on how bad my cough is. I would suggest bringing some cough drops to school though because you never know when they will come in handy.
Go To The Doctor
This is usually one of my last resorts and I have to be pretty miserable if I go to the doctor. If your symptoms don’t start to clear up or get worse after a week, it might be time to see a doctor because you might need antibiotics or prescription medicine to clear up your sickness.
Get a Lot of Rest
As someone who is planning on toughing out the upcoming school week, this could be tough. For those who are like me and plan on trying to stay at school try to make a plan to get homework done as fast and efficiently as possible, so you can get to bed at a decent time. If you try to stay up until one in the morning every night you likely won’t get better, and could possibly get worse. If it’s the weekend or you decided to stay home from school, just try to sleep as much as you can, your body needs all the rest it can get.
Take a Warm Bath or Shower
Now, this is probably my favorite thing on this list. A nice warm bath or shower can help clear your sinuses, relieve any body aches, and feels really nice. It can also relieve headaches by dilating your blood vessels. It also, of course, washes away some of the germs on your body, so you’re not as likely to spread germs.
Eat Some Soup
It’s not a myth, eating soup really does help you feel better when you’re sick. Chicken soup is the best for when you’re sick because it can help soothe inflammation in the body, and also has liquid and calories to give your body energy. Any hot soup can help soothe aches and even break down some of the congestion in your sinuses.
Being sick is miserable, but it’s practically unavoidable, especially when you go to public school. These tips always help me survive being sick and make me feel a little bit less miserable, and I hope they help you get through your sickness too.
-Emily
Bookworm Girl 