How to beat the ‘college plague’ before it’s too late

You’re next

Being back at school is great. Your friend group is reunited, your independence is back, and you have arguably the greatest city at your disposal.

What could go wrong?

Well you could contract the worst possible cold of your life, for starters. Every year you’re back on campus, you’re almost guaranteed to suffer from a sore throat, stuffy nose, fever, cough, and/or upset stomach (hangovers aside). No matter how hard anyone tries, there’s almost no escaping the inevitable “college plague.” You can wash your hands all you want, but your anti-bacterial hand soap is no match for the power of the germs of 30,000 students.

Thankfully, the plague doesn’t last forever and there are ways to beat it.

Vitamins

This one is pretty obvious, but probably the hardest to keep up with. Taking your vitamins is the last thing on your mind when you’re scrambling to get to your 8am on time.

If you already take a multivitamin and find that it’s not cutting it, try taking a Vitamin C supplement. This should not only help you get over your cold a little faster, but will also help protect you from future sickness. Also, they come in gummy form, which is way more fun than taking regular pills.

Yum

Not only is Vitamin C a must, but so is taking a pro-biotic. Digestive health works with your immune system and can help you get over your plague a bit faster. These come in gummy form too, so don’t worry.

Take a weekend off from the booze

I know this is painful to read but it’s true. Alcohol weakens your immune system and only heightens your illnesses. Also, hangovers only get worse when you’re already dying from the plague. You don’t need to add to it.

This is strictly cranberry juice

If you’re at the start of your sickness, take the weekend off. This way you can hopefully beat the plague before it completely destroys you and get back to waiting 45 minutes outside of T’s only to get your fake ID snapped in half. If you decide to go out, I can almost guarantee you will get sick and stay sick for a while.

It’s best to ride it out. Future you will thank you.

Disinfect

Germs are gross and they can linger for days. When you’re sick, the worst thing you can do is continue to wallow in them. The less you’re surrounded by your own nastiness, the quicker you’ll feel better. It’s science.

Wash your sheets, pillowcases and blankets. Even wash your pajamas. Then, Lysol the shit out of anything you can’t wash. Yes it’s annoying and yes it’ll cost you precious convenience points, but it needs to be done.

Sorry, not sorry.

When in doubt, Lysol it out

Don’t forget about door handles, your laptop and anything else you touch on a daily basis. The worst culprits of germ harboring are the least thought of surfaces.

Also, if you use a re-useable water bottle, you should wash it at least every three days to make sure it stays relatively germ free.

Sleep

This one is also very obvious but it is often easier said than done. Don’t go and skip all your morning classes because I told you to, but try planning your day around a solid sleep schedule. A full eight hours can do some amazing things for your health. Your body uses sleep to heal itself, so the more you sleep the better you’ll feel.

Even if you think you “literally have no time to sleep like, ever” you should still take a look at your schedule to see if there’s anything you can cut out or streamline. You don’t absolutely need that two-hour Netflix marathon. Put your phone away when you do homework so you can get it done faster. Or, if you can afford it, put the homework away for when you’re feeling better. Sometimes you have to pick your battles.

Tea and honey

Sorry coffee lovers, but tea is the way to go when you’re feeling like death. Coffee has a little too much caffeine and you can run the risk of dehydration if you drink too much of it when you’re sick.

Black tea is great, but green tea is a little better if you don’t hate the taste. Specifically, green tea with mint in it has some anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory properties that might help your plague symptoms go away.

Major key alert

Also, by adding honey to your tea you’re adding extra anti-inflammatory goodness into the mix. Not to mention, honey coats your throat to help relieve sore throats and coughs. If you can, make sure to get local honey to help save the bees. They’re dying at an alarming rate.

Dress for the weather

When you’re sick comfort is key. The college plague shows no mercy and doesn’t care what the weather is like. Cold and rainy? College plague. Sunny and 75? College plague. So, wear clothes that make sense for the weather. The more comfortable you feel, the better you will feel.

Who needs fashion when you have Harambe?

And although the “look good, feel good” mentality is a valid one, it may not feel great to be wearing a dress and booties with a raging fever.

Stay hydrated

Lastly, and maybe most importantly, you should drink plenty of water. The more water you drink, the better your body is at flushing out all the bad stuff. You don’t need expensive juice cleanses. Your body cleanses itself naturally with the help of water.

Also, if you have a fever, you will need to drink water to regulate your body temperature. The more you sweat, the more you need to drink.

There are various apps to help you track your water intake, but if it’s still too boring to you, try adding lemon or drinking seltzer water instead. Just make sure there’s no sugar or flavors added that aren’t natural because sugary drinks just aren’t the best for you.

Chug it, freshman

I’m no doctor, but I have contracted a few college plagues here at BU (who needs a medical degree, right?). Even though every person and sickness is different, it never hurts to take care of yourself. And don’t forget, Student Health Services is always an awesome resource to use if you’re feeling too sick to function. 

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