How to Avoid Colds
To avoid colds, wash your hands often throughout the day, especially after touching people or things in public places. Also, try to avoid touching your face since the cold virus needs to get into your nose, mouth, or eyes to infect you. Additionally, there are things you can do to boost your immune system, like eating a healthy diet, drinking plenty of water, and getting at least 8 hours of sleep every night.
. Wash your hands frequently Washing your hands often throughout the day is probably the single most effective measure to prevent the spread of the common cold and germs in general. The cold virus usually spreads via mucus and saliva from people's noses and mouths, which gets on to their hands and everything they touch. Wash with warm water and regular soap. Wash your hands after touching people, working on a computer, shopping, going to the gym and/or spending time in public places. Wash your hands after sneezing, coughing, after using the bathroom and before eating. Carry some alcohol-based hand sanitizer and/or wipes with you to clean your hands when you're out of the house. You can also wipe down surfaces before touching them, such as grocery cart handles. Avoid touching your face. The cold virus reproduces in your upper respiratory system, so it needs to get into your nose, mouth or eyes to infect you. As such, in addition to washing your hands, avoid touching or rubbing your face, especially your nose, mouth and eye areas. Try to avoid eating with your hands. If you have to scratch your face, do so through a clean tissue. Most people habitually touch their faces due to a nervous habit, which increases their risk of contracting the common cold and other viral/bacterial infections. Keep your hands on your lap or at your sides instead of leaning your face on them to reduce transmission of the virus. Don't put your fingers in your mouth in attempts to clean your teeth or remove food. Use dental floss, a toothbrush or toothpicks instead. Stay well away from people who are visibly ill. Avoidance of sick people is also a very good strategy to prevent getting the common cold, although it's not always obvious who's sick. Start by keeping your distance from people who are repeatedly coughing, sneezing and/or sniffing. You'll likely need to keep at least six feet from them, but maybe up to 15 feet if they are really sneezing or coughing powerfully. Be strategic in where you sit on public transit, at school and at restaurants. Choose seats away from the congestion of people if you can. Children catch the common cold more often than adults, so watch for kids who have obvious symptoms and then avoid them. If your own friends or family are sick with a cold, explain to them why you're avoiding contact so they don't get upset about it. Don't share items with sick friends or family. If someone in your family or social circle has visible signs of the common cold, don't share drinking glasses or utensils with them. Use your own glass, plates and cutlery when at the table or restaurants. In the bathroom, don't share towels, especially hand towels. Alternatively, use disposable cups if you or a family member comes down with the common cold. Consider using paper towels in the kitchen and bathroom for drying your hands because germs such as viruses can live for several hours on regular towels made of cloth. Keep household surfaces clean. Don't just stop at washing your hands — also clean various household surfaces, such as countertops, sinks, door knobs, drawer pulls, computer keyboards, light switches, telephones and remote controls. These household surfaces commonly harbor viruses and bacteria and can be a source of transmission for the common cold and other infections. Wipe household surfaces frequently with soap and water or an alcohol-based disinfectant solution. If your kid has a cold, make sure to wash his toys at least every day. Eat a nutritious diet. If a cold virus gets into your body it doesn't mean you'll automatically get sick because your immune system is designed to kill viruses, bacteria and other invaders. As such, keep your immune system strong by eating nutritious food, particularly fresh fruit and vegetables, with each meal. Fruits and veggies are rich in antioxidants, vitamins and other compounds that stimulate immunity. If you find it difficult or unappealing to eat fresh (raw) produce throughout the day, then consider juicing them into a deliciously healthy beverage. Federal guidelines recommend getting five to nine servings of fruit and veggies each day. Orange, yellow-orange and deep green colored produce tend to be the most potent for protecting against the common cold and other viral infections. Avoid fried, fatty, processed and sugary foods. Snack on fruit instead of candy, cookies or chocolates. Drink plenty of fluids. Drinking lots of fluid throughout the day is important for protecting against viral and bacterial infections because the mucus membranes lining your nose, sinuses, mouth, throat and lungs need water to remain moist and protective. This first line of defense against germs is called the mucociliary clearance system and it depends on good hydration to function well. Aim for at least eight 8-ounce glasses of purified water each day — maybe more if it's hot and you're sweating. Most of your intake should be based on water, but you can add in some natural fruit juice, low-fat milk and herbal teas also. Don't drink soda pop (especially colas) and other sweetened drinks because they tend to depress your immune function for a few hours or more. Avoid alcoholic and caffeinated drinks because they can dehydrate you and reduce your immune function temporarily. Chicken noodle soup does actually help prevent or combat a cold because it's a good source of nutrition and hydration, and it acts as a decongestant. . Make sure you sleep well Good quality sleeps are essentially for strong immunity because it's during sleep that your immune system recharges. Research suggests that people who get eight or more hours of sleep per night are less likely to come down with a cold compared to those who sleep for fewer than seven hours. As such, make your bed comfortable and your bedroom quiet, dark and a comfortably cool temperature in order to encourage good sleeps. Don't read or watch scary or stressful material just before going to bed. Focus on calming activities, such as warm baths, relaxing music and going for slow walks. Don't drink caffeinated beverages at least six hours before heading to bed. Switch to decaf coffee in the evenings. . Stop smoking Cigarette smoke contains numerous toxins and harmful compounds, which increases the risk of infections by damaging the respiratory tract and decreasing immune response. In particular, smoking dries out mucus membranes, irritates the passageways and destroys the little hairs inside your nose, which all increase the likelihood of catching a cold. As such, stop smoking as soon as possible. Even exposure to passive (secondhand) cigarette smoke can make you more vulnerable to the common cold. If you can't stop smoking "cold turkey" then consider using nicotine gum or skin patches short term to wean yourself off the habit. Get regular exercise. Although there isn't evidence from research to show that regular exercise can directly prevent colds, physical exercise does stimulate the immune system and makes it more able to fight infectious diseases in general. Aim for about 30–45 minutes of light exercise daily, such as walking or cycling, at least 3x per week. Hard physical exercise can actually drain your energy levels and make your immune system temporarily weaker, so don't push yourself too hard. Start with walking or cycling to condition your heart to regular exercise, then progress to stair climbing, jogging and swimming for a better workout. Stay warm and dry. Although getting physically cold or chilled is not the direct cause of the common cold (it's a viral infection), it can reduce your immune system's function because your body needs to spend it's energy on maintaining an internal temperature of around 98°F (36.7°C) or so. Therefore, keeping yourself warm allows your body to expend energy on the immune system if needed. Wear clothes in layers when it's cold out and always cover your head with a hat — a high proportion of your body heat escapes through your head. Don't go outside with wet hair or damp clothing when it's cold out. Getting a chill can divert energy away from your immune system. Don't forget to cover your hands and feet, as they are also significant sources of heat loss. Consider taking vitamin C. Vitamin C is probably the most studied supplement in terms of preventing the common cold and the results have been mixed and somewhat controversial. Although many people swear by the vitamin, most scientific studies claim that it doesn't prevent colds, but it can reduce the duration and severity of the illness. However, critics of many studies claim not enough was given to people to make a difference. For dosage, start with at least 1,000mg daily and build up to 3,000mg over the course of a week or so to make a significant impact on the common cold. Some people take 1,000mg of vitamin C per hour for a handful of hours when they feel they're at risk or in the early stages of the illness, but medical recommendations are typically much lower. This is mega dosing and most likely will not result in any substantial benefit, as your body eliminates excess through urine. Don't take more than 1,000mg at a time, especially if you're not accustomed to it, because it can trigger a short bout of stomach upset and/or diarrhea. Vitamin C typically comes in capsules or tablets. Some tablets are meant to be dissolved in water. Look into vitamin D. Vitamin D acts much like a hormone and is important for immune function. Humans make vitamin D3 in their skin when exposed to certain frequencies of summer sunshine, but many people are deficient in the vitamin because they avoid the sun, work indoors or live in northerly climates. Although the research is inconclusive for the common cold, vitamin D supplements (in the form of D3 drops) can make a significant impact on reducing the risk of developing an upper respiratory tract infection (URTI). The common cold is a type of URTI, so vitamin D is certainly worth a try as a preventative strategy. Typical preventative dosages are between 2,000–5,000 IUs of vitamin D3 per day. Instead of supplementing, you can spend more time outdoors during summer months, as vitamin D is stored in our bodies for many months if it's not immediately needed. Wearing sunscreen can reduce the amount of vitamin D your skin makes but it is extremely important in preventing skin cancer. The amount of vitamin D you need depends on many factors, including skin type, time of year, and where you live. For most people, short exposure to sunlight (around 15 minutes or so) should be sufficient — if you get red or sunburned skin, then this is an indication that you have overdone it. Try taking echinacea. Echinacea flowers have been used medicinally for many hundreds of years, particularly to treat and prevent respiratory infections. Modern research on the effectiveness of echinacea preventing or shortening the common cold is mixed, but it seems that in some people it can significantly reduce the severity and duration of symptoms when taken during the early stages. The type of echinacea plant and the preparation used makes a big difference in terms of effectiveness. Consult with a herbalist or Chinese medicine practitioner for advice. Consider growing the plant yourself and then drying the flowers and using them to make a herbal tea — maybe 3 cups daily as a preventative measure. Store-bought echinacea comes in capsules, tea bags and tinctures (liquids). Experiment with zinc supplements. Much like vitamin C, the cold-fighting reputation of zinc is also controversial and research on the mineral is mixed. However, zinc is important for immune function, particularly the health of mucus membranes in the respiratory tract. It seems that taking zinc supplements is most effective within 24 hours of the onset of cold symptoms. Zinc typically comes in capsules, tablets, lozenges and nasal sprays. Over-doing it with zinc nasal sprays can cause permanent damage to your sense of smell, so be careful. For the common cold, doses range from about 5–25mg of zinc (gluconate or acetate) in the form of lozenges or capsules every one to three hours for up to a day. 
. Avoid touching your face. Stay well away from people who are visibly ill. Don't share items with sick friends or family. Keep household surfaces clean. Eat a nutritious diet. Drink plenty of fluids. . . Get regular exercise. Stay warm and dry. Consider taking vitamin C. Look into vitamin D. Try taking echinacea. Experiment with zinc supplements. 