With final tests and papers standing between students and the long-awaited holidays, it is more important and more challenging than ever to avoid getting sick.
Stress and sleep-deprivation — common symptoms of term papers and final exams — weaken the immune system, making the onset of colds, the flu and other various viral and bacterial infections all the more likely this time of year. This is problematic: according to the Centers for Disease Control, 5 to 20 percent of Americans contract the flu each year, and 200,000 must go to the hospital because of complications. On top of that, approximately 36,000 U.S. residents die from flu complications each year. Although not as serious, a cold can result in fatigue, impaired concentration and missed classes — huge setbacks at a time when students need to perform their best academically. Because of the health implications of school’s taxing demands, it is vital to minimize stress and maximize sleep by managing your time effectively.
You can use your time most efficiently by making small changes. For example, if your weekdays are usually jam-packed with schoolwork, try getting a few hours of reading out of the way on Friday or Saturday. You might miss out on happy hour or Saturday morning cartoons, but you’ll be all too thankful when you don’t have to pull an all-nighter during the week.
Just as important as minimizing stress is coping with it in a healthy manner. All too often, people look to alcohol, whether at a party, a restaurant or a bar on Sixth Street for relief after a hard week. Although it might provide a temporary escape, alcohol should be consumed in moderation, if at all, during the season of sore throats and runny noses.
Heavy drinking weakens the protective power of your immune system by dehydrating you and robbing you of the most restorative kind of sleep (you don’t get REM sleep when you are drunk). Instead of bar-hopping, try going for a run to ease academic stress. According to a 2008 University of California study, exercise not only relieves stress, but it also improves cognitive functions like executive processing.
The other danger of the season is the season itself. Although cold weather might not directly cause you to get sick, it does cause more people to stay huddled together inside, making for more mingling among friends — and among germs.
Unless you want to sequester yourself in your room with only disinfecting spray to keep you company, the first and most obvious way to avoid getting sick is by washing your hands. Warm soapy water will do. Avoid using the antibacterial hand sanitizers because they can facilitate the proliferation of drug-resistant bacteria. We have enough germs to worry about already without having to deal with an incurable strain of superbacteria.
Another preventative measure is vaccination. If you have not yet gotten your $5 flu shot at the Student Services Building, you haven’t lost your chance. Because of the vaccination’s popularity during the past few weeks, University Health Services will be administering flu shots once more on Wednesday from noon to 4 p.m. It is well-worth facing the needle: A flu shot can reduce your likelihood of getting the virus by 90 percent.
For those of you who are already sick, the only thing to do is try to minimize the duration and intensity of the illness. Combat flu-like symptoms when they first appear with prescription drugs like Tamiflu or Relenza. If you have a cough or a runny nose, steer clear of dairy products because the protein they contain encourages the production of mucus.
And in every case, stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water, eating water-based soups and fruit and avoiding beverages high in caffeine.
Whether you are sick or healthy, prioritize: Tend to your mental and physical health before you devote time to your academic or social concerns. Doing it the other way around will only hurt your GPA and social life in the long run. You wouldn’t want to drop down a letter grade in a class because too many all-nighters caused that little cough to turn into pneumonia. And you don’t want to miss out on the holiday festivities — pumpkin pie and all — because you are buried in a pile of blankets and tissues, drugged on cold medicine.
O’Brien is a Plan II and psychology senior.
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