6 Health Tricks from Nurses
Nurses spend their entire careers surrounded by sick people. Naturally, they pick up a few tips to stay healthy themselves. From stress to snacking and warding off illness, nurses use these six tricks to keep their bodies – and minds – healthy.
1. Wash Your Hands – Forcefully
It’s common knowledge that washing your hands can help you avoid getting sick. But nurses take hand-washing seriously. Hot water and soap are helpful, but the key to really getting rid of germs is friction.
When surgeons prep for surgery, they do more than just put on their scrubs and lather their hands with soap. They actually scrub their hands with a brush. It’s the friction action that removes bacteria from the surface of the hands.
You can use all the soap in the world, but if you don’t rub your hands very hard, it’s not going to do much.
So, the next time you wash your hands, do it forcefully.
2. Start Your Day with a Glass of Water
Many people start their days with a cup of hot coffee or tea. Nurses start their days with a glass of water.
There are many benefits to drinking a glass of water before you do anything else. Water helps boost immunity and regulate digestion.
The body is especially dehydrated in the morning because the body hasn’t taken in any food or water in several hours. Drinking a glass of water first thing in the morning helps wake the body and brain up.
3. Brew Garlic Tea to Ward Off Illness
Garlic has been used since ancient times for medicinal purposes, and it’s well-known for its immune-boosting properties. But scientists now know that most of garlic’s health benefits are caused by sulfur compounds that are formed when it is chopped, chewed or crushed.
Allicin is the most famous of these compounds, but garlic also contains s-allyl cysteine and diallyl disulfide.
These sulfur compounds enter the body from the digestive tract, where it exerts its potent biological effects.
Chewing garlic may be too harsh for some people. Steeping the garlic into a tea may be more tolerable. Just chop one or two cloves, and steep them in hot water to create a pungent tea.
4. Drink Apple Cider Vinegar
A pantry staple in many households, apple cider vinegar has also been used for centuries as a health tonic. In fact, apple cider vinegar was praised by Hippocrates for its anti-fungal, anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties.
A popular drink among nurses is a concoction of apple cider vinegar, warm water and lemon. Many nurses swear by this drink to ward of the cold and flu.
5. Take Time to De-Stress and Rest
Stress is a silent killer. Nurses work long, busy shifts, but they rest whenever they get a chance. They also know the importance of taking a moment to breathe and de-stress.
Whenever you find yourself in a high-stress situation, concentrate, mindfully, on your breath.
6. Keep Healthy Snacks on Hand
It’s all too easy to grab a snack from the vending machine or succumb to the temptation of the donuts in the break room. Keeping healthy snacks readily available will help you stay on the right track when you’re at work.
