Beat the Back-to-School Sniffles

Back to school means back to germs for you and your kids! Classrooms at school and daycare can be incubators for germs and viruses.

Wash your hands frequently. Scrub with warm water and soap for at least 15 seconds. Hand washing is the number one way to prevent the spread of germs and illness. Keep hand santizer with at least 70% alcohol with you for when you can't get to the sink,

Don't touch your face. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands. Viruses that cause colds enter your system this way!

Use alcohol-based wipes. When someone in the house is sick, wipe high-touch items such as phones, light switches, doorknobs, and remotes with an alcohol-based wipe. Teachers - this goes for high touch items in the classroom too!

Don't crank the heat. As Fall and Winter approach, it's tempting to crank the thermostat. Dry air can dry out the protective mucous layer in your nose that keeps germs out.

Get a good night's sleep. There is growing evidence of a link between sleep and a healthy immune system. A study out of Carnegie Mellon University showed that those who slept less than 7 hours were nearly three times more likely to come down with colds than those who got 8 or more hours of sleep per night.