I had covid this year in October, but even before that I noticed the pattern. For four years at uni I remember getting sick like twice. This year alone I'm sick for like 5th time alone.
I do try to stay active though, I'm running 5k in the gym regularly, I've been to the gym almost 100 times this year. I'm taking multi-vitamins as well. What else can I do to avoid getting cold so often?
Covid and working from home had a significant effect on me. It changed my attitude to health. Before, I would spend too long at a screen, take on too much work, not exercise, eat poorly and inconsistently for "convenience".
The pandemic was a wake-up call that made me rethink my age, habits and vulnerability. With regular long walking, better diet, cold-sea swimming and a refreshed attitude to saying "No" to tasks, I have stayed healthier this winter than previously. I prefer to work on-site mingling with students or clients, catch the train and bus, exposing myself to all manner of bugs. Obviously that's personal n=1 anecdata, and may be down to nothing more than good luck.
ADDENDUM:
Maybe it's also worth mentioning, I kinda got habituated into wearing a mask in transit. Still do it, partly because I feel its respectful toward others, but also I bought a bunch of dazzle pattern camo masks that screw up any face recognition cameras, and I kinda like that idea :) The upshot is that I remain more aware of body-space, air and hygiene than before.
We had strong masking protocols here, and some periods with schools closed. I'm assuming it's just a matter of us "catching up" on three years of colds/flu.
Anecdotally, if feels like everyone is getting sick. It's not great.
I haven't been noticeably sick except for the ocassional runny nose (but tested negative for Covid the ones I tested) the past two years. Normally I'd get bronchitis every transition to and/or from winter, after a runny nose leads to a bad cough.
As far as I know, I haven't gotten Covid yet.
Probably about to get sick, though. I've been doing a lot of holiday functions this year (my wife's work, my work, and a reunion with my past coworkers) and feel a lot of pressure not to wear a mask at those things, and there's like 50-100 people at those.
Once you get used to these, it's extremely unlikely that you'll get cold again.
Even with the best of diets and exercise regimes, you'll still get sick. Don't fall for the "oh well once you sat down for two hours straight and ate some chocolate on Christmas day, of course you got sick, you didn't do it right!!" manipulations.
Wim Hof is exactly opposite of pseudoscience: someone who is collaborating with scientists and doctors to show that he's not special and anyone can do the same.
Start light: have your normal shower, then slowly make it colder gradually. Let it push you out of the comfort zone, yet of course stop before it feels hard on your body or heart or anything serious.
You might start with 10 seconds and gradually increase the time until you basically can stand 1 minute under cold water.
About "just cold" or "ice cold" and the faucet: the "coldest" setting changes wildly depending on where you live, but "really cold but not shocking your body" might be a good sweet spot. If you aren't living somewhere particularly cold, the coldest from the shower might not even reach that cold anyway.
Listen to your body and know your limits. Start slow and gradually make it "harder" as your body gets used to it by days and weeks.
The last two years have been a marked change as people my way have isolated at lot more, less was being spread, and I fared better not catching any minor colds. However the last two years, 2020 I prob caught it early (Before tests) and slowly felt better by 2021. (Note: even after testing became available, in Australia one couldn't get tested unless one was already in a hot spot for covid, it took a while for that policy to change.) Strict state isolation meant very little of anything, it was bliss, however once it was open slather, I believe I've caught it again a few months back, only mild fatigue and bother, but bending down pulling out a weed out - I guess my body was pretty soft, and mildly tore a lot of side muscles on one side, still giving a bit of grief.
What I did find help me back in my 20s with a cold that was persistent for 3 years, quite accidentally I started taking a quarter to half a teaspoon a day of 100% pure creatine monohydrate. At that rate I noted a few positive side effects, one being my cold cleared out. The body should have enough from a good diet, mine wasn't and I was a bit over weight, however I was quite active, I was push biking for my main transport so around 60 miles in any given day of the work week. It could be the case less is more, as the significant improvements to resistance to colds and my mood that I noticed, don't seem to be duplicated or reported when the product found it's way into the fitness world. Ultimately I stopped using it because I was became far too mellow and the clowns were taking advantage of that.
Additionally medical research in 2021 pointed out L-arginine was helpful for having a better outcome whilst needing hospitalisation for covid-19 - but nothing concrete as far as I can recall in regard to if it lessens or helps in the initial phase of infection.
2000-2019: unwell (flu, cold) 2-3 times a year. 2020-2022: not unwell a single time, 36 months counting now.
Context: I now travel on public transport once a month vs 20 times a month. I work from home and not a busy office with meeting rooms. I socialise less. I exercise less (I walk less per day). I eat about the same quality. I sleep more. I get less sunlight. I'm happier.
My view: it's all down to much reduced exposure to the poor hygiene that the public practice. Whether or not there is "more of it about", I'm only exposed 5-10% as much as I previously was.
As you are, strong cardiovascular health (sustained sweat intensely 3x a week)
Eat a balanced and non processed diet high in nutrients. Think salads and meats with some rice and tubers. Snack on fruit and nuts.
Get plenty of sleep.
Try not to be stressed. If you are, simplify your life. Its better to drive an old toyota with faded paint relaxed than to work overtime to cover a new cars high monthly payments fir example. Less is more.
Mask wearing is not putting a dent on it unless you n95 and never touch your face.. health is the answer.
You want to reduce strain on the healthcare system? Mandate exercise and outlaw fat people.
Passports for restaurants that show you've been eating healthy.
Of course that's facetious, inhumane and absurd, but so is the public health policy we get shoved down our throats.
Still, RSV was a doozy the other week. 3 kids in one class were on oxygen at the hospital for multiple days.
We've been to the hospital twice since September for the kiddos. They're so packed that they put us in a conference room the first time, and the MRI room the second time. Conference room is kinda 'meh', but when they put us in the MRI room, I was stunned. Those rooms are the most dangerous in any hospital by far. That's how packed they are around us.
I agree with the nurses and MDs, this winter is worse than any covid winter.
"What do you think you have an immune system for? It's for killing germs! But it needs practice... it needs germs to practice on. So listen! If you kill all the germs around you, and live a completely sterile life, then when germs do come along, you're not gonna be prepared."
We've spent the better part of 3 years now with social distancing, increased hand washing, and generally avoiding all contact with germs. Your immune system is out of practice.
By this I mean, without a means to isolate whether responses are self selecting (either for or against the proposition), it just devolves to a "hn story time" which has way too wide of a context to be meaningful.
If I'm wrong, I wonder what sort of thoughtful expansive substantial comments is this post seeking that are good as a hacker news topic?
To answer the question posed. No. I am generally fine. The weather has been colder on average for this month where I live.
Go to the gym less often? Like all other enclosed spaces which don't do enough air exchange (e.g. offices, malls, schools etc.) it's a perfect places for people to infect each other with their germs.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41392-022-00919-x
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.08.09.22278592v...
Before the lock down time I had ~1 cold per year on average I would guess. I generally do not care about health too much. I seriously doubt the effectiveness of vitamins if you have normal eating habits. They may make things worse if you didn't consult your doctor and he specifically says that you should take them. Otherwise eat an orange from time to time...
I still do regular Covid tests, but I haven't had that either and stopped wearing masks completely.
*edit: I had 1 cold a year ago, but it was only 2-3 days of light symptoms.
I didn't work from home much though. Currently writing this from the pub.
Months ago I went to an event in a poorly ventilated pub basement, several days later I developed symptoms and had a positive covid test a couple of days after that.
In past years, in December I travelled on trains full of coughing people and caught a cold. This year I havn't.
Sometimes I have cravings for crazy stuff like McDonalds, and I just honor it. Nicotine, caffeine and alcohol are not healthy in general and not for me so I minimize them and plan to cut all eventually. I occasionally (fortnightly?) take vitamins and minerals as tablets. I occasionally take a variety of pharmaceuticals or ayurvedic or Chinese medicines that I have found work for me, and there are some things simple well tolerated things I take almost daily. I also am conscious of and tend to my microbiome. Also, when I feel some nasal blockage or possible infection, I'll flush my sinuses with salt water and add a bit of iodine solution. Sometimes I'll gargle iodine as well. I try to stay relaxed as much as possible and try not to let things stress me out. I try to communicate well, assert myself and do what matters to me.
I recently bought an air purifier for home, and I find it really matters a lot. Also I keep the house clean of dust etc. I sleep well, and my gut is regular. I brush my teeth 1 - 3 times a week, and floss 1 - 2 times a week. I have zero fillings. I feel I'm blessed with good health, which is awesome. I wasn't always so healthy. For the first 3 decades of my life I was sick a lot more regularly, like a normal person level.
I drink lots of water, more than most people. Recently I bought a copper jug and sometimes I leave water in the jug then pass it through a Brita filter. Other times I just boil the tap water, then Brita filter it. I love water. I rarely use products on my skin and hair and I try to avoid things with fragrances. Some of the Kiehl's stuff I like tho.
I attributed this to extreme (and still increasing) air pollution; not sure what to think now.
Change your diet do a more ancestral/paleo one. There are indicators that the gut microbiome is a important factor in this: as you moved away from you parents you probably started eating different foods which further destroyed your body/gut.
Eg read Weston Price's book Nutrition and Phyical Degeneration for a clear example of what the modern diet did to us (and you).
I do have a perpetual runny nose and some coughing from time to time, but nothing that would qualify as an illness (and I had that before 2020 as well, possibly thanks to inhaling too much tear gas years ago).
In the Netherlands we have no restrictions remaining, and masks are worn by around 1% of people, so this fall season saw a surge of common colds and various other stuff doing the rounds. It's particularly annoying if you have a young child (like I do), because they'll be bringing in all the viruses doing the rounds from kindergarten or school. They do so even without covid, but the pandemic definitely had some weird effects on immune systems and the normal flu season.
My family has been catching colds every three or four weeks since August this year; varying in intensity from too sick to work to mildly inconvenient, but never lasting longer than a week. I think we've had the worst of it by now.
Yes for extreme exercise, but "5K regularly" isn't going to trigger that effect. In that range, there's a positive long-term effect. That's what athletes and (even more importantly) physiologists really know.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32139352/
The problem here is far more likely to be the "in the gym" part. Being one of many heavy-breathing people in an enclosed space for an extended period will far outweigh any long-term immunity benefit from exercise. Also, OP mentions having COVID before. This raises the possibility of post-COVID inflammation and adaptive-immune-system hyperactivity due to continued RNA shedding. As if that weren't enough, there's mounting evidence that COVID causes lasting damage to the innate immune system. Like the "immune amnesia" associated with measles, COVID seems to leave people more susceptible to all kinds of infection, perhaps permanently.
My suggestion would be to keep running, but do it outside. Yes, even in winter. That's what I do myself, in New England, so it's clearly possible. You just have to gear up properly and learn a few extra habits to keep yourself safe.
I have not been sick in about 5 years and then I caught Covid when the first wave hit.
Since then, I’ve been sick at least once a month while my wife and kids have experienced the same thing (just less extreme)
I've never been this non-sick!
Also, once I start feeling something come up I drink a sachet of vitamin C booster (which has an array of other stuff including b12 and zink) that seems to really pick me up.
Running outside versus the gym. I run 2-5km every other day, but I go outside. I just have like a shirt/sweater/down jacket on as layers to keep warm since it gets between -10 and 5C during the day. Extra sweating makes me feel great.
Also, never vaccinated. Cost me a job (to make it even more stupid, the job was fully remote) - oh well.
Masks work so I have not been sick much at all for most of the pandemic.
