The winter brings colder temperatures, shorter days and shift in your daily routine, adding pressure on the health of your family, and their wellbeing.
From seasonal illnesses to household hazards, the colder months can bring issues and health concerns. Keep on reading to see how you can keep your family healthy during the winter months.
Keeping Your Home Warm And Safe
Keep all of the detectors in your home working. Test your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors monthly, replacing their batteries once a year, and whenever a device is signaling it has low power.
Be careful with all heating equipment, making sure you follow the manufacturer instructions for furnaces, wood stoves and space heaters. Keep your space heaters at least 3 feet from flammable items, and obviously, never leave them running when you’re sleeping, or you’re away from home.
You’re going to want to prevent heat loss as much as you can. Add some weatherstripping around your doors and windows, and seal any gaps to reduce drafts.
Check your attic and wall insulation, to ensure your heating system isn’t working harder than it needs to.
Always be prepared for any outages, with a portable power station and keep some backup batteries for your essential devices. Have blankets, extra clothing, and a plan to warm a single room safely, if the power goes out.
Keep your gutters and water system maintained. Clear your gutters of any leaves, so melting snow can drain away from your roof and the foundation. Disconnect outdoor hoses, and insulate any exposed pipes to prevent freezing and potential bursts.
Preventing Seasonal Illness In Your Household
Keep everyone’s vaccinations up to date. The flu shot and other recommend vaccines lower the chance of serious infections, and reduces the spread of illness to people that are higher risk.
Always have good hand hygiene, and clean high-touch surfaces in your home, as often as possible. Wash your hands with soap for at least 20 seconds, using an alcohol hand gel when needed, and always cover your mouth when coughing or sneezing.
Keep your windows open, whenever the weather allows it, running your exhaust fans, wiping doorknobs, remotes and phones with disinfectant, so you keep on top of the gems.
If a family member has a fever, cough or a shortness of breath, keep them separated and mask up when close contact is necessary, helping to protect children, older adults and people with chronic conditions.
Protect your skin and extremities from cold injury. Dress in layers, covering exposed skin and keeping outdoor time as short as possible, to prevent frostbite.
Supporting Immune Health During Colder Months
Keep your routines steady in the cold months. Ensure everyone has regular sleep, balanced meals and you all do consistent activity, to give your immune system the support it needs.
Focus on whole foods that give you vitamin C, zinc and protein. Add colorful fruits and vegetables, lean proteins and whole grains to meals.
keep active, even when it’s cold outside. Do short indoor workouts, family walks or playtime to keep your circulation and mood up.
You can always take practical supplements, if you need them. Vitamin D is often low in the winter, but check with your clinician before starting any new supplements.