An honest and helpful guide on how to survive Freshers’ Flu

Getting ill at university is nothing like being ill at home, some even say you never get better you just accept this is the way your life is now.

You slowly start to become part of your bed, sinking in-between the pillows not moving for five hours with Netflix asking the dreaded unneeded question of "are you still watching?"

What causes the plague remarkably known as Freshers' Flu? Does anyone actually know? All we do know is once one person gets it everyone does and we're all in this together, which is why we've listed out the cheapest and best remedies to survive Freshers' Flu.

Lemsip and Beachams

I don’t know about you but when I lived at home, and showed any sign of cold or flu symptoms, my mum would make me down the most disgusting drink known to the human race, a lot like the infamous dirty pint you encounter during a classic game of ring of fire.

Beachams powder would not only trigger your gag reflex with the powder not fully dissolved, but would also linger when you try to wash it down with any other drink afterwards.

You don't wanna feel like this

Luckily for us, away from our mother’s reach, they made Lemsip tablets that do exactly the same. Whether you consume the vile powders or take the tablets, which sounds like a typical Friday night for some, they really do the job.

Within ten minutes you'll feel your headache ease off, the hot and cold flushes die down and generally a lot better, until you forget to take them again after four hours and feel like a gremlin once more.

Tesco's have a wide variety, all in the 3-for-2 offer may I mention, of cold and flu remedies from Lemsip Cold and Flu: Day and Night tablets to their Tesco-own Max Strength: All in one sashays from just £2.60 each.

Vaporub and Olbas Oil

One of the worst symptoms of the famous Freshers' Flu is feeling like every one of your sinuses is completely blocked, with no control over your runny nose and breathing like Darth Vader. You reminisce of every day where you didn't have a bunged-up nose, knowing one day in the near future your nose will be free to breathe again.

To get to that promised land, the fastest way to relieve all of those symptoms is to simply rub some weirdly nice smelling stuff, called Vaporub and Olbas Oil, on your chest before putting on your clothes or going to sleep.

From the moment it leaves the bottle, the smell swells the air around you and your sinuses open up relieving you of the bunged-up nose situation, for a little while at least. Rubbing it on your chest retains the soothing smell keeping your sinuses blocked free, as well as takes away any aches and pains you may have.

You can get Vaporub and Olbas Oil from Wilko for just £2 and you'll not be able to get enough.

Soup, soup and more chicken soup

Believe it or not, mum's "Starve a fever, feed a cold" actually works and what better else to have when you feel like you are dying a slow, slow death than food? With your throat feeling like you swallowed glass and not being able to eat whole foods the only option is soup. Yes, the underrated and everyday soup becomes the silent hero of the never-ending days that you are ill.

If it's not for the fact there are so many different types of soup that you could probably try a different one every day for two weeks, but also the fact that it takes approximately five minutes to make. You won't need to leave your warm cozy bed for less than ten minutes, with Netflix on pause and your hot water bottle keeping the bed toasty for when you get back.

Living on soup may seem like a boring meal, but feels like a gift sent by the gods to help you at this fragile time. So, stock up with Tesco's 5 for £3, or the Tesco's own soup for 25p each.

Dropping shots of whiskey into a glass isn't just for a night out

As students, we have all made pretty crazy concoctions before a night out that usually means we are already half cut before leaving pre-drinks, but what if I told you that you can add alcohol to a drink and instead of it making you a mess on the floor, it'll actually make you better?

You now have a use for that random bottle of whiskey that someone left at yours which sits on the kitchen table half full, or that one shot sitting on the side that someone pussied out of before getting rushed out to the taxi.

Same hun

The hot toddy is a combination of a spirit (usually whiskey, rum or brandy), hot water and honey. This mixture is known to subdue the injustices of the inevitable symptoms of the Freshers' Flu with the alcohol numbing your throat, the honey smoothing it over and the hot water to rehydrate your body.

And if you are feeling creative you can add other ingredients like lemon droplets or cinnamon for that extra bump of relief for your drippy Sunday noses. With all the ingredients known in every student home all it takes is one shot, a spoonful of honey and some hot water. No, it's not the typical shot that you do on a night out but it's the shot that counts, and how else are you going to get back to your friends at the sesh?