You cannot fully prevent colds (200-plus viruses, no vaccine), but handwashing, not touching your face, avoiding sick close contacts, and 7-plus hours of sleep cut the count a lot.
The proven tier is boring: 20-second handwashing before eating and after public surfaces, hands off eyes, nose, and mouth, distance from the obviously sick, and disinfecting shared surfaces when someone at home is ill. Immune maintenance: sleep (under-6-hour sleepers catch measurably more colds in studies), regular exercise, not smoking, stress management, and a varied diet. Myth management: vitamin C does not prevent colds for most people, zinc lozenges within 24 hours may shorten one modestly, echinacea is weak, and being cold does not cause colds, viruses do. Know the normal range: adults average 2 to 3 colds a year, kids 6 to 8. Far above that, or every cold dragging past 2 weeks, suggests allergies masquerading (itchy eyes, seasonal timing), sinus problems, or an immune issue worth a blood test, a clinician conversation, not more supplements.
What to do
Common questions
How do I stop getting colds?
Colds are not fully preventable, there are 200-plus cold viruses and no vaccine, but you can cut your count meaningfully, and the effective list is shorter and more boring than the supplement aisle suggests. The proven tier: handwashing with soap for 20 seconds, especially after public surfaces and before eating (cold viruses ride hands to faces); not touching your eyes, nose, and mouth, which is the actual inoculation route; keeping distance from obviously sick people and not sharing cups or utensils with them; and disinfecting shared high-touch surfaces when someone in the house is sick. The immune-maintenance tier: sleep 7-plus hours (people sleeping under 6 hours catch measurably more colds in challenge studies), regular moderate exercise, not smoking, managing chronic stress, and eating a normal varied diet. The myth-management tier: vitamin C does not prevent colds for most people (it may shave a day off duration if taken daily), zinc lozenges have mixed evidence for shortening colds if started within 24 hours, and echinacea's evidence is weak; none of them replaces the handwashing tier. And being cold or wet does not cause colds; the virus does, though winter crowding indoors is why they spread more then. What "too many" looks like: adults average 2 to 3 colds a year and kids 6 to 8 (daycare kids more), so landing far above that, or every "cold" dragging past 2 weeks, suggests something else: allergies masquerading as colds (itchy eyes and seasonal timing are the tell), chronic sinus issues, or less commonly an immune problem worth a blood test. Bring the pattern to a clinician rather than stocking more supplements.