When everyone in your family gets sick at the same time, it's hard to know how to deal with it. You naturally want to take care of yourself and your loved ones, but if you are ill, who will take care of you? Learn some effective ways that you can get through a bout of illness with your family.
Take Vitamins That Can Help Boost Your Immune System
When your immune system is down you are more likely to get sick. Taking immune-boosting vitamins can help you get over sickness more quickly, and are also beneficial for prevention. Vitamin C and E are potent antioxidants, which can help boost your immune system. Vitamin D is known to have a positive effect on the immune system, boosting its ability to fight disease.
Taking B12 is another great option for immune health. B12 is an essential nutrient that helps maintain healthy nerve tissue in the body. Without it, you may experience weakness or tingling in your hands and feet as well as mental confusion. This vitamin also plays an important role in maintaining healthy red blood cells as well. Zinc is another nutrient to take when you’re sick, and you can even start taking it the moment you feel something coming on.
Load Up on Elderberry Products
If your family is experiencing a cold and flu bug, it might be worth stocking up on elderberry products. Elderberry is a natural remedy for colds and flu. It can help fight off infection, prevent the spread of germs, and depending on the other ingredients, may help alleviate fever and pain. Elderberries are rich in antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals which all contribute to their healing properties. Kids can easily take it with convenient elderberry gummies if they won’t take a syrup or tea form.
Stay Fit When Everyone in the Family Is Sick
If you're an avid exerciser, staying active when everyone else is sick can help you stay healthy. If you've been working out regularly, try working out in a fasted state in the house while you care for everyone else. You can do simple bodyweight exercises even if you can’t make it to the gym.
Rest, Rest, Rest
When you're sick, it's easy to get caught up in the busyness of life and neglect the one thing your body needs most: rest. A cold or flu is the perfect reason to slow down and rest as much as possible. This can be hard when everyone in the house is sick. But by making everyone slow down, you can all get through being sick together more quickly.
Drink Plenty of Water
If you are in the midst of a cold or flu, one of the best things you can do is drink plenty of water. The importance of staying hydrated cannot be overstated on top of all your other responsibilities while navigating illness in your house. Water helps keep our bodies functioning properly and assists them in removing toxins from the body. Drinking water also helps fight infection because it's a natural diuretic that increases urine production, which flushes out bacteria, viruses, and other harmful substances from your system through your kidneys and bladder.
Eat Nourishing Foods
While popsicles tend to be a favorite in households with sick people, they don’t add any nutritional value. It’s best to stay with whole fruit smoothies, bone broths, and other nutrient-dense foods when you’re not feeling well.
Eat nourishing foods that contain vitamins, minerals, and enzymes. These nutrients help boost immunity so your body can fight off the cold or flu. Try eating foods rich in vitamin C like oranges or broccoli; iron-rich foods such as lentils; leafy greens like kale; ginger root which helps with nausea and more.
Open the Windows
Open the windows. Fresh air is a natural antihistamine and can help fight that runny nose. Keep in mind, however, that opening the windows will not help if it's raining or snowing outside -- or if you have seasonal allergies. If it's cold out, turn on the heat; if it's hot out, turn on the AC. But opening the windows can help clean out the air and leave you feeling better before you’re actually better.
Get Some Sunshine
Sunlight is good for you. It helps your body produce Vitamin D, which has been shown to support bone health, mood, and energy levels. The sun also boosts serotonin production, a neurotransmitter that makes us feel happy and relaxed. If you’re not feeling your best, sit outside for a few minutes a day on your porch or deck if the temperatures aren’t too bad. This little bit of sunshine can help you and your family recover more quickly.
