I’ve just had two weeks of sniffling and general fatigue, often feeling like a large, land based mammal has been sitting on my chest. It must be a bad case of man flu, because I feel really crook, but my wife offers zero comfort or concern.
Describing details of my symptoms, or suggesting I might need to rest on the lounge, seems to evoke the same facial contortions I see whenever she’s informed about an upcoming boys’ weekend.
Could I be imagining it? Maybe the coughing and spluttering is just an allergic reaction to the miserable weather. Or maybe, men suffer more from a cold or flu because they don’t have as many pain relieving endorphins that women are naturally blessed with for child birth.
Either way, I want to feel better now. I am a lousy patient (according to my wife anyway), and I have better things to do than feel sick. So, it’s time to get serious about boosting my immunity.
Here’s my list of the five best ways to get over the man flu.
1. Nourish your body – Eating healthy foods full of nutrients gives your body all the weapons it needs to fight infection. Sounds like a good excuse to load up on chicken and vegetable soup.
2. Supplement your diet – Vitamin C and zinc have a good reputation when it comes to reducing the severity and duration of a cold, while probiotics may also be helpful in stimulating the immune system.
3. Prioritise sleep and rest – Sleep regulates your hormones and maintains healthy immune function, helping you to fight illness and infection.
4. Don’t pretend that alcohol has medicinal benefits – Alcohol can be dehydrating at a time when you need to replace the fluids lost from fever, a runny nose and respiratory tract evaporation.
5. Keep it to yourself – If you’re coughing and sneezing, you have the potential to spread germs. If you feel bad now, imagine how you’ll feel if one of your colleagues catches what you’ve got.
Have you had man flu this winter? Do you use any remedies that tend to speed up your recovery from the dreaded lurgy?