Cold and Flu Season?

It's officially fall! We even had to break out the hats and mittens for those chilly, early mornings! Fall is my favorite time of the year.

Although it's a beautiful time of the year, oftentimes people associate this time of year with "cold and flu season." Yes, it's true that typically more people to get sick in the fall and winter months. My question is, do you think there are more cold and flu bugs out this time of year? Or are there other common factors that happen this time of year that affect our body's ability to fight off the germs? We all know people who seem to get sick all the time or when they get sick, it lasts for weeks. We also know people who rarely seem to get sick. What's the difference? Generally speaking, we are all exposed to very similar germs yet some people get sick and others don't. Let's discuss some common factors that happen during "cold and flu season" that also decrease our immune function.

1. Decreased Vitamin D Levels: Vitamin D plays a huge role in our immune function. We don't get Vitamin D from many foods but rather we get it from the sun. What happens this time of year? We're not in the sun as much and if we are, we're all bundled up so we don't get exposed to the sun to get Vitamin D naturally.
2. Sugar Intake goes up: Think about it... Halloween (candy!), Thankgiving (pies!), Christmas (too many delicious desserts to list!). With the holidays coming up, there is oftentimes more sugary treats around. Sugar depresses the immune function of our body.
3. Increased stress: With the start of school oftentimes brings busier schedules with sports and extra-curricular activities. Also, start of the holiday season can be stressful as well. .

My suggestion is doing things to build up your immune system function so that when your body comes in contact with different germs, it's strong and can fight off the bug before it ever becomes sickness in your body.