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Summer is in full swing, and with it comes a slew of opportunities to gather in the nice weather! From smaller gatherings like family barbecues to huge ones like music festivals and state fairs, people are anxious to get out and enjoy the warm weather while it lasts. Unfortunately, the great outdoors does come with its fair share of irritants, including pollen, grass, air pollution, dirt, secondhand smoke—and if the weather has been damp, mold. Plus, all that congregating can lead to an increase in illness, especially the respiratory crud colloquially known as “festival flu.”
Festival flu can encompass a range of illnesses from simple summer colds to more serious infections like bronchitis. Sometimes, festival flu isn’t caused by a virus or bacteria, but by environment and activity. According to Dr. Cedric “Jamie” Rutland, a pulmonary and critical care medicine physician and spokesperson for the Lung Association, “It’s usually not a specific illness but a combination of lack of sleep, lack of nutrition screaming, shouting and dehydration.”
The symptoms are as you’d expect: coughing, sneezing, nasal congestion, and watery eyes, and can also include more troublesome symptoms like body aches and fever. Not the way one wants to spend their sunny summer days and nights!
So, how can you prevent “festival flu”? Here are five tips for staying healthy throughout the summer gathering season:
Start with self-care. When it comes to illness, often the best defense is a good offense. Prioritizing your health on the days you aren’t socializing can go a long way toward helping your body mount its best defense against “festival flu” on the days you are. Both lack of sleep and poor nutrition can have a negative impact on your immune function, while exercise is an immune booster! If you have a busy summer ahead, incorporating healthy habits like proper sleep (7-8 hours per night), regular exercise (30 minutes, 3-5 times per week), and a healthy diet with plentiful fruits and veggies can help ensure your body is functioning at its best when you do encounter environments that put your immune system to the test!
Supplement ahead of time. While maintaining healthy habits can go a long way toward keeping you well, targeted supplementation provides extra, much-needed protection for your respiratory system. And don’t wait until the day-of! Be proactive in making respiratory support part of your daily routine during the summer months and get ahead of the season’s plethora of allergies and irritants. Quercetin and other bioflavonoids, like those found in BreatheClear with NTFactor®, are key ingredients in reducing inflammation and your body’s allergic response. Quercetin helps to open respiratory passages and reduce sinus congestion, while also lowering the body’s response to histamine to reduce the inflammatory cascade that causes so many of our troubling allergy symptoms. The inclusion of the patented NTFactor lipid blend also fights fatigue naturally by targeting its source: your mitochondria! By providing vital lipids to help maintain your mitochondrial membrane, BreatheClear helps your body generate energy more efficiently, so you can enjoy your summer activities to the fullest!
Drink up! (No, not like that.) It should go without saying that it’s important to stay hydrated if you’re outside in the summer heat, but quenching your thirst at the beer tent or soda stand can actually have a detrimental effect on your hydration. Both alcohol and caffeine can result in dehydration—especially if you’re already sweating in the sun! Stick with water or electrolyte-laden sports drinks to replenish your body. Not only will staying hydrated help prevent overheating, it also keeps your throat and nasal passages from drying out, and helps replenish the mucus you need to trap and clear inhaled irritants and invaders.
Wash your hands. While proper handwashing (lathering up for at least thirty seconds with soap and warm water) isn’t always an option at outdoor events, it’s still important to keep your hands clean. Hand sanitizer should be amongst your festival essentials—many brands even offer small bottles or cases with clips that attach easily onto a purse or belt loop, so it’s always available when you need to de-germ. And remember, not all sanitizers are created equal; make sure your brand of choice is at least 60% alcohol.
Avoid environmental irritants. This can be one of the hardest factors to control, especially at outdoor venues where folks are more likely to smoke and environmental irritants like pollen abound. Try to choose a spot where you can avoid inhaling others’ smoke—and smoking yourself—as much as possible. Smoke can aggravate and dry out delicate respiratory tissue, making you more vulnerable to coughs even if you don’t have existing respiratory concerns. If you suffer from asthma or allergies, breathing in smoke can be even more dangerous.
Keeping these tips in mind should help you avoid the dreaded “festival flu” this summer, but if you do happen to come down with an illness, be sure to take time to rest and recover. Continue to prioritize your rest, hydration, and nutrition while you recuperate, and consult your physician if symptoms don’t improve or last longer than a week. Fight the temptation to resume your summer fun before you’re feeling fully recovered, both for your own sake (your immune system needs a chance to recharge before you expose yourself to another concert or festival) and for the sake of others (after all, someone passed that festival flu to you!).
