Ashford Clinic Blog
Back to School Tips for Your Ears, Nose, and Throat
Whether it’s elementary school, middle, high school, or even college - keeping your ears, nose, and throat healthy and happy should be just as important as textbooks and a good backpack. So, we gathered some of our top tips for staying healthy this year.
Wash your hands!
Washing your hands with soap is the best way of removing germs. While hand sanitizer does work between washings and when you can’t wash with soap and water, it’s best for times when you can’t get to a sink. Frequently washing your hands is the best way to prevent spreading germs to other areas of your body, or other students.
Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue.
A tissue to control and contain those coughs and sneezes will keep them from spreading around. If you can’t get to one though, sneezing or coughing into your elbow is the next best course of prevention. Don’t forget to wash your hands afterward though!
Don’t share foods or drinks.
“Sharing is caring” is great advice for a lot of things, but when it comes to classmates it’s also a great way to spread viruses and germs. Some might argue that it’s even faster than with other habits. If bringing a packed lunch from home is an option, that will greatly reduce the amount of exposure as well.
Get plenty of sleep.
Sleep is when your body repairs itself and builds up its defenses, so a good night's sleep is important to staying healthy. If staying asleep is challenging, an air purifier can pull double duty by cleaning the air and providing gentle white noise. Restricting screen time an hour or two before bedtime is also helpful!
Drink lots of water and eat your veggies.
Healthy eating and drinking habits help your body fight off viruses and bacteria, so it’s important to be eating lots of fresh veggies. Staying hydrated allows your body to rid itself of pesky invaders, or even keep them from getting in, to begin with.
We hope that you have a healthy, happy school year! If you do need an appointment though, give us a call - we’ll be happy to help you get back to feeling better.
