Five ways to keep your family healthy this autumn

As any parent will tell you, once the children go back to school, the germs start to run riot. Coughs, colds, stomach bugs and eye infections are amongst the most common viruses spread at school. Which should come as no surprise when you consider the number of children confined in close spaces for long periods of time.

And then of course, once your child gets ill with something infectious, they bring it home with them and before you know it, everyone is struggling.

But do you have to accept this as inevitable? Or can you do something about it?

The good news is that there are indeed things that you can do to boost your child’s immune system. Here are five ways to keep your family healthy this autumn.

Get plenty of sleep

The amount of sleep you need will vary with your age, but as a general guide, children between 6 and 12 need at least 10 hours per day, and teenagers at least 8. If your child is consistently not getting enough sleep, this can weaken their immune system and its ability to fight infection. This means that they will be more likely to get ill if there are infections going round.

Try to fix a regular bedtime, where they go to bed and get up at the same time each day – particularly for school nights. A regular routine for going to bed and getting up settles your body’s circadian rhythms and helps everything to run more smoothly. 

Also make sure that you all avoid digital devices for at least an hour before going to bed. Ideally have them out of the bedroom altogether when you settle down to sleep so that there is no potential for distraction and no residual blue lights, which can interrupt sleep patterns..

If you are not sleeping well because you are worrying about things, take a look at our article Are you losing sleep worrying about money?. And remember that if you are in a financial mess, an emergency loan from Loans 2 Go may be able to help.

Reduce stress 

Getting good sleep can help to alleviate stress, but it’s also important to build in other outlets as well.

For adults, this could mean taking up a hobby you’ve always wanted to do, or treating yourself to some physical pampering such as a long bath, a massage or some spa treatments. Or you may want to listen to music, read a book, or watch your favourite. Whatever you like to do, try and make time for it at least once a week to help you to relax.

Children can also feel stressed by school work, sports, extra curricular activities, and social events. Not to mention friendship issues. Watch out for any warning signs of anxiety, such as changes in sleep or eating habits, or atypical behaviour. Encourage them to talk about their feelings and keep them company if they seem to need it. Also help them to find a safe place at home that is free of distractions and where they will be able to relax and unwind.

Exercise regularly

However much exercise you and your family do, there is most probably scope to do more. Regular exercise can boost your immune system as well as improve your mental health and mood. It also strengthens your bones and muscles, and can reduce your risk of major health issues such as Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and some cancers.

So try to find one or more types of exercise that you and your family can take time to do for around 30 minutes during the day, either individually or together.A few ideas that may help are:

• Walking. Either go out for a walk or just build walking more into your daily routine.
• Running. The Couch to 5K (C25K) programme is a very popular way to start.
• Cycling. This may be something that you could do together as a family. 
• Swimming. An excellent all round exercise for all ages and abilities.
• Gyms. Look out for the growing number of free outdoor gyms in public spaces.
• Home workouts. There are online exercise videos for almost every kind of exercise, including dance, Yoga, Pilates and many others.

Eat and drink well

A healthy, well-balanced diet is one of the most important health factors for everyone, especially children and teenagers. You should aim to include some of the main five food groups every day:

• Fruit and vegetables.
• Carbohydrates, including potatoes, bread, rice, pasta.
• Proteins, including beans, pulses, fish, eggs, meat.
• Dairy and alternatives, including yoghurts which contain probiotics.
• Oils and spreads.

This will provide the best mix of vitamins, minerals and nutrients that your family needs to stay healthy.

Also keep an eye on how much you are eating. Overeating can affect not just your weight but also your general health. As a general guide, men should keep their calorie intake less than 2500 per day, and women 2000. Calorie recommendations for children vary according to age and gender, so do check on the NHS website for your family’s needs.

Also make sure that you are all drinking plenty of water, to avoid dehydration. It is recommended that we drink 6 to 8 glasses of fluid a day, which adds up to around 2 litres. The best thing to drink is plain water, because it has no calories or sugars. But sparkling water, squash, low fat milk, tea and coffee all count too.

Remember Hands – Face – Space

During the Covid-19 pandemic we all became very aware of the phrase Hands – Face – Space. But this applies as much now as it did then. Good hygiene is really important to keep us healthy. Washing and sanitising hands, avoiding touching the face, and being careful about sharing space, cups and utensils with others can all help to keep infection at bay.

We hope that the above tips help you to keep your family healthy this autumn.