How do I stop getting colds?

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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.

How do I stop getting colds?

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