January brought the new year with it but failed to leave sickness behind. Getting sick is always a drag; this time, colder temperatures prolong the season, bringing a new year of runny noses, brain fog, and fatigue. Contracting an illness is miserable for a trucker when calling in sick isn’t an option.

There isn’t always a sure way to prevent viruses from invading our bodies, but there are ways to make it harder for them. Please keep reading to find out what causes sickness, how to avoid it, and how to shorten those sick days and get you on your feet quicker.

 

What Causes a Sickness?

 

Most of the time, we catch an illness from someone who already has it. But where do viruses come from, and are there ways to avoid the effects? Trying to find the origins of viruses will take you back to the beginnings of time. Some theories suggest that viruses date back to before the evolution of cells, but since concrete evidence is yet to be available, it continues to be debated.

The introduction of new viruses, like COVID-19, has brought out truck drivers’ concerns about working on the road during the season of sickness. We’ll let the scientists debate about where viruses came from, but for now, we must find ways to cope with them continuing to make their way into our bodies in the forms of colds, flu, COVID-19, and other illnesses that may take us out of commission.

There is no sure way to avoid getting sick, but there are ways that make it harder for the virus to affect you.

 

How To Avoid Getting Sick on The Road

 

1. Don’t Touch Your Face

It’s the most essential rule for not catching a cold. We touch many things throughout the day, filled with dirt, germs, and bacteria. Germs on your hands won’t make you sick, but if you touch your face, they will make their way into your body via your mouth, nose, or eyes.

 

2. Wash Hands Often or Use Sanitizer

Washing your hands as often as possible, especially after being in contact with people or things, is the best way to keep germs from entering your body, besides not getting them on your hands in the first place. When working on the road, there isn’t always an opportunity to wash your hands, and soap is often absent if a water source is available.

 

 

 

Carrying soap around isn’t practical for a trucker, but there are other options, like dry soap sheets, that are convenient to carry in a smaller package while still delivering the germ-killing properties of soap. Hand sanitizer is also a quick way to kill germs if you don’t have access to a sink.

 

3. Wear a Face Mask

COVID-19 created a norm of wearing face masks for a while, which should be enforced during every cold and flu season. Wearing a face mask, especially during peak illness times, is a great way to prevent airborne viruses from entering your body. Colder temperatures make the sick season extremely long, so stock up on masks for the next month or two.

 

Boost the Immune System to Avoid Getting Sick or to Shorten a Cold

 

Boosting your immune system is another option for avoiding illness, and it will also help shorten a cold if you already caught one. We’ve talked about holistic treatments to help prevent and treat a cold, but doses of the right vitamins and minerals can be the trick, too. When mentioning any sickness, upping your vitamin C intake is the first thing on anyone’s mind.

 

 

But the “big C” isn’t the only vitamin that will help boost your immune system. Other vitamins that elevate your body’s immunity include vitamins A, D, E, selenium, and zinc.

Many of these can be found in comforting food like chicken soup, which is why it can be beneficial for shortening a cold.

For truckers, it’s harder to maintain a healthy vitamin and mineral intake, but taking a multivitamin or personalized vitamin pack is a great way to get what you need on the road. Many convenience and grocery stores also carry immunity shots and drinks that often contain lemon and ginger. Making your own version of immunity drinks before leaving on a trip is another option for a pick-me-up on the road.

The cold and flu season is long, and with COVID-19 cases sprinkled in, it hasn’t been easy to avoid getting sick. Dealing with getting sick is difficult for anyone, especially truckers, and knowing ways to help prevent it and shorten the effects will help make this sick season more tolerable.