How to avoid catching colds or the flu: Tips to prevent them before they start

Winter not only brings cooler weather and the football season of choice, but we also get the cold and flu season (cue sneezing). Australian adults may have 2-4 colds a year, and young children in childcare and primary school could have 5-10 which means that adults around little ones are likely to have more. 

So, how can you avoid catching the cold or flu? It’s all about preventing them before they start. Here’s how.

Cold vs flu

Before we dive into how to avoid them, it’s important to first understand the difference between a cold and a flu. 

Colds are a collective name for viral infections of the lining of the nose and throat - there are hundreds of types of viruses that cause them.

Whereas the flu is usually more serious than colds and is caused by Influenza viruses, usually Type A or Type B, infecting your nose, throat and sometimes your lungs. 

Common symptoms of colds and the flu

Cold symptoms are likely to develop over a couple of days and mostly affect your nose and throat. Despite feeling sick, you can generally carry on as usual. Symptoms include:

• A sore throat
• A blocked or runny nose
• A hoarse throat 
• Sneezing
• A cough
• Feeling tired and unwell
• Less commonly, a fever

The flu is likely to come on quickly over a few hours and is also likely to be more severe, leaving many feeling too exhausted and sick to carry on as usual. Symptoms can be similar but extend past the nose and throat—common symptoms could include:

• A sudden fever
• Headache
• Aching muscles
• Limb or joint pain
• Tiredness
• A cough
• Diarrhoea, stomach pain and/or vomiting (more common in children)

Tip 1: Get vaccinated

With hundreds of different viruses that could cause a cold and relatively mild symptoms, there is no vaccine available for colds. 

There are vaccines for the flu, and the influenza vaccine is recommended for everyone aged over 6 months every year.  The most common strains of the Influenza virus change frequently, so the vaccine available changes each year. Your immune response to the vaccine is best for the first 3 to 4 months, so it is recommended to have it just prior to the usual flu season between June to September. 

The flu vaccine is free in Australia for:

• all children aged 6 months to 5 years
• all adults aged 65 years and over
• people aged 5 to 65 years who are at higher risk of complications including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, pregnant women and people with some conditions that make serious complications more likely
• in 2024, all Queenslanders (by the Queensland Government)
• in May/June 2024, all Western Australians (by the Western Australian Government)

Tip 2: Wash your hands

Just as your parents told you, you should wash your hands. While research shows that a lot of cold and flu viruses are spread by aerosols (tiny particles in the air, often released by sneezing and coughing), they are also spread by the infected person touching their face and then coming into contact with someone else, or touching a surface that someone else then touches. Simple soap and water are effective at getting rid of viruses, although if your hands don’t look dirty, alcohol hand sanitizer also works well. 

Tip 3: Get enough sleep

Not having enough sleep affects your immune system immediately and is known to increase your risk of infections including colds and the flu. In fact, insufficient sleep may affect the immune system to the point that vaccines don’t work as well. The body can’t react to the vaccine enough to build immunity to the infection it’s trying to prevent. While there isn’t a precise amount of sleep that is perfect for everyone (it varies by age, circumstance and individual) most adults usually require around 7-9 hours to feel rested.

Tip 4: Manage Stress

Stress is a great way for your body to react to an emergency and over the short term – minutes or hours – it can improve your immune system to help wound healing, response to a vaccine as well as improve your resistance to some infections.

Stress over the longer term - over days, weeks, months or even years - may suppress your immune system, increasing your susceptibility to infections and making vaccines less effective. Managing stress is not always a simple task as our lives are complex. You could start with doing things that bring you joy, like fun physical activities and connecting with friends and family. 

Tip 5: Eat well

Your immune system is complex; there are multiple types of cells, enzymes and chemicals interacting in a whole collection of ways. All of these require energy and all sorts of nutrients and minerals. Research continues to develop into all of the ways that diet can affect immunity. High saturated fat, low carbohydrate, and low protein diets have all been linked to negative effects on the immune system. A diet including a variety of fruits and vegetables provides a range of micronutrients to support good immune function and protect against colds and the flu. 

Tip 6: Consider vitamins and supplements

While ideally a varied diet will provide you with all your required vitamins, there are some in particular that are more commonly lacking where supplementation may further support your immune system. If you are getting enough in your diet however, adding more won’t help. That’s why it’s best to discuss with a healthcare professional before adding a new supplement to your regimen. 

Maintaining normal levels of Vitamin D, Vitamin E, Vitamin C and Folate has been linked to lower rates of colds or the flu.

Normal levels of iron, zinc and Vitamin A are also important for a functional immune system. Probiotics and Omega-3 fatty acids have also been shown to help prevent colds and shorten the length of symptoms.

Tip 7: Get some exercise

Did you know that just  one short (under an hour) bout of moderate exercise will temporarily improve your immune system? Making moderate to vigorous physical activity a regular part of your life (around 2 ½ to 5 hours a week) builds on that temporary improvement and supports the immune system over time, lowering the risk of getting colds or the flu and can decrease the amount of time it takes to get better. 

Tip 8: Avoid smoking (including vaping)

It is well understood that smoking increases your risk of catching a cold or the flu, damaging the cells lining your nose, throat and lungs as well as suppressing your immune system. With the relatively recent increase in use of e-cigarettes, some studies suggest that vaping may increase your susceptibility to viral infections as well as damaging your lungs. 

Tip 9: Consider your alcohol use

Excessive alcohol consumption may make you more susceptible to colds and the flu and recovery may take longer. Australian Guidelines created to reduce health risks from drinking alcohol recommend that healthy adults drink no more than 10 standard drinks a week and no more than 4 standard drinks in any one day, and that children, people under 18 years of age, people who are pregnant or breastfeeding should not drink alcohol. In general, the less you drink the lower your risk of harm. 

Summary

Let’s be real: colds and the flu are a part of life and can be absolutely miserable. They impact ourselves, our families and our work lives. However, the good news is they are not inevitable. There is a lot you can do to lower your chances of infection. Eating nutritional food, getting regular exercise and enough sleep and handling your stress is likely to improve your health in many ways; getting fewer colds is a great bonus. Vaccination has a significant impact on the risk of influenza and day-to-day hygiene helps prevent all sorts of infections.

Related reads:

• Cold or Flu: Understanding the Key Differences
• 15 foods that may help support your immune system
• Prepare for daycare: how to strengthen your toddler’s immune system

Reviewed by the healthylife Advisory Board June 2024.