What to Do When You Notice Early Flu Symptoms
The flu can take precious days away from your work, your studies, or your family. By knowing what to do when you notice early flu symptoms, you can take steps to reduce your recovery time and help keep your loved ones from getting sick.
Overview
- Symptoms of the flu can happen quickly and when you least expect them. Unlike a cold, the flu is generally accompanied by fever and chills.
- It can take up to a week to recover from the flu, so caring for yourself as soon as you notice symptoms can help you feel better faster.
- A vitamin IV drip can help you stay hydrated, provide your body with antioxidant vitamins to promote strong immune function, detoxify your body, and support a faster recovery.
- Being mindful and making small adjustments to your daily routine while you’re under the weather can help you prevent others from getting sick.
What are Early Symptoms of the Flu?
The onset of flu symptoms generally happens quickly, which can make it difficult to respond promptly depending on where you are in your day. Some people may experience no early flu symptoms while others experience a combination of early signs. Here are some of the most common early symptoms of the flu.
- Body aches: Body aches are a hallmark of the flu. These aches are a byproduct of your immune response as your body releases virus-fighting chemicals into your bloodstream. Similar to body aches, a headache can signal the start of flu symptoms.
- Fatigue: Fatigue is different than just-out-of-bed drowsiness or a post-workout energy dip. The type of fatigue that comes with the flu is extreme and can make something as simple as getting up to get a glass of water seem an insurmountable task. If you find yourself fatigued for no obvious reason, your body may be fighting off an illness.
- Chills: Chills are a sure sign that your body is fighting off an infection, as your immune response increases your body’s resting temperature to fend off viral invaders. Chills are different than just feeling a little cold. Chills are intense, continuing no matter how high you’ve turned up the heat or how many blankets you’ve piled on. Chills may be accompanied by shaking, a natural response to a low body temperature.
- Sore throat: A scratchy throat can be a sign of a cold, strep throat, or the flu. If your sore throat is accompanied by symptoms such as fever, chills, or body aches, then it’s more likely to be the flu and not a cold. A sore throat caused by the flu may be accompanied by a dry cough.
- Digestive system symptoms: Early flu symptoms less commonly affect the digestive system, but may cause some people to experience nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea. A flu virus may be the culprit when combined with any of the symptoms described above.
What to do When You Notice Early Flu Symptoms
Now that you know what early flu symptoms look like, here’s what to do when you start feeling under the weather.
Keep things clean
You are typically contagious up to 48 hours before the onset of symptoms, so it’s very important to be cognizant of what you touch. Help your family and peers stay healthy by disinfecting shared items after use, such as the TV remote, door handles, or the coffee pot handle at work.
Wash your hands regularly when you notice early flu symptoms. You can easily help prevent the spread of viruses by reaching for the soap. If you’re planning on going out, carry some hand sanitizer with you.
Get some rest
It’s said that sleep is the best medicine, and for good reason. Sleeping allows your immune system time to fight off illnesses and infections. A lack of sleep can actually make it easier for you to catch that nasty bug that’s going around your office.
When you notice early flu symptoms, book extra time to sleep to give your body the opportunity to repair. You’ll get back on the road to recovery more quickly.
In general, most adults can benefit from 9 hours of sleep while fighting off the flu. Children and the elderly, on the other hand, may need 10 or more hours. However, these guidelines are not set in stone and should be adjusted according to your needs.
Stay hydrated
Hydration is essential to help you feel great every day and is all the more important when you notice the early symptoms of the flu. Your immune system is working overtime to fight off the flu, so drink plenty of water as soon as you start to notice symptoms.
In addition, dehydration can contribute to the body aches typically associated with the flu. Reaching for that glass of water can help alleviate these aches, making your recovery that much more comfortable.
Consider a Vitamin-Boosting IV
A vitamin IV can help accelerate your recovery, relieve symptoms, provide your body with essential vitamins and minerals, and rehydrate you. Our formula contains glutathione, a powerful antioxidant, that can help strengthen your immune system and give it the support it needs to fight off your flu fast.
Our certified nurse brings your IV drip directly to your door wherever you are in Los Angeles. Not only does this save you the time and the hassle of sitting at a clinic, you can avoid exposure to other viruses which you might encounter in a waiting room.
The average IV drip takes between 30 minutes – 1 hour to administer. With a supercharged boost of vitamins and antioxidants, you’ll start feeling better in no time.
Natural Remedies for Cold and Flu Season
IV therapy is just one way to help you get past a cold or the flu faster. However, there are plenty of things you can do to support healthy immune function. Here are our top natural cold remedies.
Rest
The number one thing you can do for yourself when you’re sick is to get some rest. Sleeping shuts your body down and gives your immune system the opportunity to fight off illness. In fact, a lack of sleep can make it easier for you to get sick when you’re exposed to a virus.
The average adult shouldn’t need more than 9 hours of sleep per night when fighting off an illness. Children and the elderly may need as many as 10 hours of sleep when sick. These are not rigid guidelines and should be adjusted depending on your specific scenario.
Hot Beverages
Hot beverages may not cure your cold or flu, but they can help alleviate your symptoms. Tea or, if tea isn’t your thing, warm water can soothe your sore throat, relieve your congestion, and help you stay hydrated, all of which can make your recovery more comfortable.
Students and professionals can tote along a thermos of hot tea for meetings or class, while a mug of hot tea is the perfect accompaniment for work or study. Families, especially on-the-go families, may find a thermos the safest way to keep hot liquid away from kiddos.
Salt water gargle
A salt water gargle is a fast and effective way to relieve sore throat symptoms. This remedy reduces swelling, cleans out bacteria, flushes out irritants, and pulls mucus out of your throat tissue, providing immediate relief.
A salt water gargle is easy to make. All you need to do is dissolve half a teaspoon of salt per 8 ounces of warm water two or three times per day, making this remedy easy to procure in your home, office, or dorm.
Nutrition
When you’re busy, and especially when you’re busy and feeling under the weather, eating a full meal might seem like a massive use of limited energy. However, your body needs fuel to fight off your illness or infection. You can help speed along your recovery by filling up your tank.
Eating a balanced diet is important year-round, but is especially valuable when you are sick. Ideally, incorporate some antioxidants into your meals if you can. Antioxidants help your recovery by getting rid of damaging free radicals. Blueberries and strawberries are fantastic natural sources of antioxidants, as is dark chocolate.
Upping your vitamin C intake is another way to accelerate your recovery. Vitamin C supports your immune system’s function and plays a role in antioxidant regeneration. This vitamin can be found in citrus such as fresh oranges, lemons, or orange juice. Giving your system a vitamin C boost can help you feel better faster.
Hydration
Hydration is an essential part of everyday life no matter what your occupation or your age, and is all the more important when you’re under the weather. When you’re sleeping a lot, or if a stomach bug makes ingesting anything a challenge, it’s easy to get dehydrated.
Remember to drink plenty of water while you’re sick. Hot beverages, especially herbal tea, are valuable for both relieving your symptoms and keeping you hydrated.
6 Ways You Can Avoid Spreading Your Cold or Flu
You are the first line of defense when it comes to preventing your family from getting sick. By following these 6 ways to avoid spreading your cold or flu, you can help keep your family healthy any time that you’re feeling under the weather.
1. Wash your hands regularly
You’ve no doubt heard this advice before, but it’s the #1 thing you can do to help keep the people around you from getting sick. Touch is involved in almost everything we do, so it’s easy to spread germs without even realizing it, especially when you’re sick.
By washing your hands regularly, you minimize the spread of germs, which means less risk of transmission to your friends, coworkers, or family. You don’t have to use antibacterial soap; any type of soap will work.
If you have to be on the go when you’re unwell, carry hand sanitizer and use it frequently.
2. Disinfect items used by the household after touching them
Similar to #1, we can leave germs on the items we use without even realizing it. You can keep disease transmission to a minimum by wiping off any items you use with a disinfectant wipe after you’re done. This could include desks, chairs, countertops, bathroom surfaces, the TV remote, or anything else that is shared among a group of people.
If you have to go to work or school when you’re sick, carry portable disinfectant wipes with you and use them regularly throughout the day to help keep common spaces clean. Your peers will thank you!
3. Don’t share your food or drinks
Sharing food and drink is especially common in households with children, but as tempting as it may be, hold off until you are no longer contagious. When you share a drink, you’re exposing the other person to the germs present in your mouth. Although it’s perfectly safe under normal circumstances, this brief exposure can lead to getting your loved ones sick.
Fortunately, you can easily prevent spreading what’s ailing you by keeping your food and drink separate until you’re back in good health.
4. Avoid preparing meals while you are ill
While preparing a meal for your family be a part of your routine, you can help prevent spreading your cold or flu to them by taking a break from the kitchen. This is often easier said than done! For the duration of your illness, it might be a good move to opt for pre-prepared meals from the grocery store – or to have your significant other take over the kitchen for a few days!
5. Stay separate while you are contagious
This isn’t always possible at the workplace, but you can help keep your family healthy by quarantining yourself (as much as you can) when you’re at home. This might include sleeping in a separate room from your significant other, using specific blankets and sheets, or minimizing the amount of physical contact you have.
How do you know if you are contagious? It depends on what your illness is.
- For the flu: You are generally contagious one day before the onset of symptoms and up to a week after symptoms begin to show.
- For a cold: You are likely contagious 1 – 2 days before symptoms appear and can potentially be contagious for as long as you have symptoms.
6. Sneeze or cough into your elbow, not into your hands.
This tip might take some getting used to, but sneezing or coughing into your hands greatly reduces the chance of sharing your cold or flu with your peers. And, of course, there’s always the tried and true advice of washing your hands frequently if you are coughing and sneezing.
Boost Your Immune System Naturally With IV Therapy Delivered to You
Although our Immune Boost IV won’t immediately cure your flu, it will give your body the antioxidants and immune-supporting vitamins it needs to quickly get rid of your symptoms. This innovative formula is administered through a hydrating saline solution directly into your bloodstream, ensuring 100% absorption.
Best of all, our certified nurse brings the appointment to you wherever you are in Los Angeles, saving you the time sitting in traffic or at a clinic. Plus, direct-to-you delivery helps you avoid the exposure to other viruses which you might encounter in a waiting room. Our Immune Boost IV usually takes between 30 – 45 minutes to administer, providing you fast and effective relief from your symptoms.
Have questions? Want to know more about our service areas or the ingredients in our formulas? Give us a call. We’ll be happy to answer all of your questions and help you feel better fast.
