How to prevent getting post holiday cold

Legacy_user

Every time I fly back from holiday, I get a really bad cold. Which turns into a chest infection. It normally takes 3 weeks plus after my first symptoms to clear

I take vitamin c, zinc, Echinacea, eat a healthy-ish diet. Though I hardly see fruit n veg in restaurants. My holiday is half board.

I'm generally a healthy person. But worried about getting a cold after coming back

suejb2

Don't fly!

pattycake

All that recycled air on flights, yuck! However as there's not much you can do about that, what I always do as soon as I take my seat, is to wipe my hands, the arm rests, tray table and lever with an antibacterial hand wipe.

No idea if it helps but it makes me feel better. Plus if I have to use the onboard loo, even though I wash my hands, I then use antibac gel on my hands when I get back to my seat.

Nile

pattycake wrote: »

All that recycled air on flights, yuck! However as there's not much you can do about that, what I always do as soon as I take my seat, is to wipe my hands, the arm rests, tray table and lever with an antibacterial hand wipe.

No idea if it helps but it makes me feel better. Plus if I have to use the onboard loo, even though I wash my hands, I then use antibac gel on my hands when I get back to my seat.

Good advice from pattycake.

I would add, try not to touch your eyes or nose unless you've washed your hands because that's a fast track way to invite the cold virus to attack you.

Callie22

You could try some of the Vicks First Defence nasal spray. I use that when cold season hits hard at work and I'm convinced that I get fewer (and less nasty) colds because of it.

System

Nile wrote: »

Good advice from pattycake.

I would add, try not to touch your eyes or nose unless you've washed your hands because that's a fast track way to invite the cold virus to attack you.

I will try to avoid to touch my eyes. It will be difficult as my eye condition they dry out quicker than the average person. Have my prescribed eye drops on me (Hylo)

Toothsmith

Good hand hygiene is the key to preventing most transmissible diseases.

Every time you touch something someone else has touched before, then bugs are lurking.

Luggage trollies, door handles, card payment key pads, the magazines in the seat pockets, arm rests - the list goes on.... If you think about it too much, it's very easy to become a bit OCD!

But, if you're particularly concerned about flights, be particularly careful around airports & planes. Wash hands wherever practical (with soap & warm water) and have some hand sanitizer (small bottle to get through security) for when you can't.

Red-Squirrel_2

The best thing is probably to just try and keep yourself in the best health you can all year round. A well functioning immune system will deal with most things you pick up in normal day to day life, so unless yours is compromised in some way just make sure your nutrition is good, that you get enough exercise and that you sleep well and you stand yourself in good stead to beat off any bugs!

Even if you do get a cold or sort throat after the flight (it is pretty common) then if you're in generally good health it shouldn't wipe you out for weeks afterwards.

marrowgirl

weirdly I used to get this too but have not had a post flight cold since going vegan 2 years ago and I have had a few flights since then. Now this may just be co-incidence but you could try reducing dairy intake around the time of your holiday as for some people dairy seems to make mucus more viscous and sticky so if you get a cold you may not suffer as much? It may be worth a try if you already have a healthy diet.

Debran

Antibacterial wipes and gel can be useful but they won't do anything to prevent a cold. They work on bacteria but not viruses.

dori2o

Get the flu jab.

It can't hurt.