How To Sleep Good With The Flu
Use a vaporizer or humidifier.
How to sleep good with the flu. If you are suffering from influenza as opposed to the common cold you ll probably need quite a lot more than 8 hours sleep. Flu and cold symptoms dry your airways out and make them raw. When you re ill you might find yourself napping throughout the day. Sleep is the best medicine for your body while fighting the flu.
Watching tv curled up on the couch isn t a bad idea but you shouldn t be binge watching your favorite netflix show all night long. The coughing and runny nose started so we put on the stethoscope to investigate some simple but smart ways to enhance your sleep while battling your abominable cold and its ugly cousin the flu. Sleep is associated with a brain protein called acpb that has been shown to speed up recovery in tests done on lab mice that were infected with the flu strain h1n1. Another part of the sleep flu equation is tied to its effect on fevers that are often part of the illness.
The body goes into healing mode when it sleeps says donald novey md a. This content was created by the national sleep foundation. We ve known for a long time that microbes affected sleep at least superficially hippocrates even wrote about sleep 2 500 years ago said james krueger a researcher at washington state university in spokane washington. Sleep deprivation has an adverse effect on immune function and chronic sleep loss can increase an individual s vulnerability to infectious diseases.
If you re looking to avoid the cold or the flu this fall make time for sleep. Sleep is a crucial part of kicking the cold and flu even though it may feel more stressful than restorative. Not to mention that when you re sick symptoms tend to worsen as bedtime approaches. Sleep helps the immune system.
When you lie down postnasal drip can build up making your throat sore and triggering a cough. The finding could lead to some novel treatments to help the body fight the flu virus sprayed right up the nose. Make a wedge with a few pillows to prop yourself up in bed. Moisturize the air with a humidifier or vaporizer.
When you re battling a cold or flu one of the best things you can do for your health is get a good night s rest. According to the authors of the science of sleep people suffering from a bad case of the flu often sleep for 12 hours at a time.