As students return from vacation, bad colds and flu-like symptoms begin to appear. Everywhere students are seen coughing on desks or wiping their noses on their sleeves. Germs are spreading all around the school, but there are ways people can help prevent getting sick themselves. 

Lea Tabanken, the nurse at Hamilton Wenham Regional High School, recommends that students wash hands with soap and water before and after meals and use hand sanitizer throughout the day to kill and prevent germs. 

Additionally, Tabanken says that adding, “lots of vitamin C and veggies in your diet can help.” According to HealthLine.com, some great sources of vitamin D include orange juice, kiwi, cauliflower, kale, cantaloupe, and sweet yellow peppers.

She also says that “for a teenager, hydration is key and everyone should drink at least 70% of their body weight in ounces of water a day to stay healthy.” That may seem like a lot of water but that is the recommended amount to stay healthy. For a teenager who weighs 120 pounds should drink about 84 ounces of water a day.  That average bottle of water holds 16.9 ounces, so a 120-pound teen should drink 5 bottles of water a day. If using a Hydro flask that holds 24 oz of water, be sure to fill that up and costume three and a half times a day.

According to sleepfoundation.org, students who get 8-10 hours of sleep are less likely to catch colds or sickness, than students who barely sleep. Being sick has become more and more common this year, and more cases of the flu have been diagnosed. CNN News reports that this flu season is said to be the worst in decades. 

As midterms approach, make sure to wash your hands and stay away from germs to try to stay healthy!