Common Cold Prevention

Some of the most common cold prevention methods include washing your hands often, avoiding people who have a cold, using disinfectants, and living a healthy lifestyle. Other common cold prevention methods that might not initially come to mind include keeping your hands away from your face and reducing or managing stress. Research on common cold prevention has shown that the more social you are, the less likely you are to get sick.

 

Common Cold Prevention: An Overview

There are several ways you can reduce your chances of getting a cold. Suggestions for common cold prevention include:
 
  • Washing your hands regularly
  • Keeping your hands away from your nose, mouth, and eyes
  • Using disinfectants
  • Limiting exposure to infected people
  • Practicing healthy habits.
     

Common Cold Prevention: Wash Those Hands

The common cold can be passed through coughing, sneezing, and touching surfaces such as doorknobs and telephones. Handwashing with soap and water is the simplest and one of the most effective ways to keep from getting colds or from giving them to others. During cold season, you should wash your hands often and teach your children to do the same.
 
According to the American Society for Microbiology, a national survey found that Americans were most likely to say they wash their hands after changing a diaper and before handling food. Most, however, said they don't wash their hands after coughing and sneezing.
 
The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) recommends regular scrubbing of your hands with warm, soapy water for about 15 seconds as a part of common cold prevention. When water isn't available, the CDC recommends using alcohol-based products made for sanitizing hands.
 
(Common Cold Prevention Continued: Page 2)
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Written by/reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD