Hacking coughs fly through the air like bats in a belfry.
Sniffles echo throughout classrooms with the steady, irritating rhythm of a leaky faucet.
Orange juice bottles, used tissues and empty cups of soup fill trash cans — there’s another month to go until we’re free of flu season, and the symptoms are everywhere.
Maybe it’s because the unseasonably cold temperatures have driven us inside, which means that it’s easier to catch a cold from your roommate or that kid in the library who thinks covering his mouth when he sneezes is just too much effort.
Or maybe it’s because, as college students, the close quarters we live in combined with the communal bathrooms present in a lot of dorms — not to mention the stresses that come with a college workload — means we’re more likely to get sick.
There are certain remedies that are tried and true, like chicken soup and drinking plenty of water. Pair these with some over the counter medicines and you’ve got a strong plan of attack against those pesky germs and viruses. For the sake of breadth, here are a few others.
For an upset stomach, try following the BRAT diet: bananas, rice, applesauce and toast. While none of these options sound particularly flavorful, the fiber will help your digestive system have a cool-down while replacing nutrients you may have lost.
Yogurt, which would soothe a sore throat, is also beneficial because it’s a probiotic, containing the helpful kind of bacteria that will fight off the type making you sick. Think of them as the Lancelot of bacteria, riding in to save the day.
If you’re stuck tossing and turning in bed all night, you may be happy to learn that tart cherries have a natural dose of all-natural melatonin to ease you into a deep and healthy slumber.
And — my particular favorite — dark chocolate contains antioxidants, so that fun-sized KitKat or Hershey bar is a perfect cold-fighting aid.
If push comes to shove and you do catch a bug, remember this: Netflix is a great nurse, your bed loves you, and there are worse ways to pass an afternoon than by taking a nap.
—Brianne Garbutt, third-year journalism student