6 College Health Tips They Won’t Teach You At Orientation

By Betti Wilson

January 31, 2018   •   Fact checked by Dumb Little Man

healthy tips for college students

College years are a great time. It’s when you become more independent, make new friends, and learn a lot of new things. From managing your finances to taking care of your health, you start to become more responsible.

The tricky part is that you often need to learn those things from your own experience and if it’s your health we’re talking about, it isn’t always pleasant.

Most of the time, it’s inconvenient. You’ll have a pile of writing assignments to complete and a lot of catching up to do if you want to maintain your grades.

So, instead of waiting for an experience to teach you, why not start making positive changes in your life? You can start with these healthy tips for college students.

Be careful with food

Food poisoning might not last as long as flu does but it’s still unpleasant. The easiest way to avoid it is to wash your hands before you eat (and after, obviously) or simply sanitize it.

A sanitizer is a big help if you go around campus a lot and don’t always have time to go to the bathroom to wash your hands. Sanitize your phone as well. After all, you touch it all the time and put it near your face often.

Also, be careful with drinking from someone else’s cup in parties or eating food someone already ate. That’s the easiest way to become sick.

See Also: The Importance of Personal Hygiene for Healthy Living

Get your vaccines

vaccine before college

Getting a vaccine shot may not be that uncomfortable, but it can help you get through the year without getting ill too often. It’s not a complete guarantee that you won’t be sick, but it can help you greatly minimize the risk.

So, don’t forget to get a flu shot before the flu season starts.

Be careful with antibiotics

Antibiotics can fight the most serious forms of flu and help you recover quicker, but you need to be careful when you take them.

First of all, it’s important to finish the whole course of antibiotics to ensure that all the bacteria are completely eliminated.

Second, you need to avoid alcohol during the course. We know that drinking happens often in college.

A 2014 study on college drinking published by the National Institute On Alcohol Abuse And Alcoholism showed that 60% of college students drank alcohol during the past month and almost with 2 out of 3 students engaged in binge drinking.

That study might look old but the situation now is pretty much similar, if not worse.

Even moderate drinking should be forgotten during your antibiotics course. This is important because some antibiotics simply become less effective when taken with alcohol.

And even if there’s no such side effect, alcohol simply makes your body more dehydrated, making it hard to recover from an illness.

Invest time in proper cleaning

The dirtier your room is, the easier it is for you to get sick. Even not changing your sheets on time after you recover from the flu can make you sick again.

Proper cleaning means not simply putting all things back to where they belong. If you really want to avoid illnesses, you need to start eliminating all the germs and dust in your room. Start vacuuming, sweeping, and wiping all the dust.

And if this sounds time-consuming, just think about your health.

You don’t need to do all those things every day or even every week. Do them at least once a month and do your best to keep your room generally tidy in between general cleaning. Spending 10 to 15 minutes cleaning daily is much easier than spending the whole weekend tidying up.

Create a first-aid kit

first aid kit

It doesn’t matter whether you bring it with you from home or create one when you’re already living in your dorm. Just make sure that you have one around.

Fill it with all kinds of medicine you might need for different kinds of emergencies. Make sure that there are medicines for the flu, stomach pain, and treating wounds.

Don’t forget to refill your kit when you run out of certain medicines, too.

Eat healthily and drink enough water

One of the easiest ways to avoid getting sick is to stick to a healthy diet on a daily basis. This isn’t always easy but it’s possible. All you need to do is to make it your top priority.

A proper nutrition boosts your immunity and gives you many other perks. For example, you’ll receive all necessary vitamins and minerals, which can make it easier for you to concentrate.

Also, don’t forget to drink enough water.

It’s what helps your brain to function better. It can also hydrate your body, improve digestion, and make your skin clearer.

See Also: 5 Easy Healthy Habits You Can Start Straight Away 

Staying healthy in college is easier than you think. Often, it’s all about basic nutrition and hygiene. These healthy tips for college students should be able to help you get started on the right track.

Betti Wilson

Betti Wilson is a content writer for http://essaywritersite.com and a career specialist for college students. She is a content marketer, sharing experience on writing, education, and self-development in her publications. Connect with her on Facebook.

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