The kids will be heading back to school soon, and bringing home runny noses and coughs. Whether we have kids in school or not, cold weather brings us back indoors after those glorious days in the sun and being in close quarters again helps spread the germs that are more stable in the dry, cold air. These are the perfect conditions to bring on cold and flu season. Regular hand washing and non-sharing at school as well as staying away from communal snacking at work can help reduce exposure, but the best defense is a healthy immune system. You get this by eating healthy, exercising, reducing stress and getting a good night's sleep. A healthy diet and exercise are hugely important to a strong immune system as well as overall health. We've also been told how necessary it is to reduce stress, but the one thing we often let slip when life gets busy is sleep. Now research shows us that forgoing a good night's sleep is not optional if we want to stay healthy.
