Heading Back to Campus and Staying Healthy

August 2nd, 2013 · 1 Comment · Hanna Kroeger, Healthy Living, Herbs for

todolist Monday: First Exam in Physics, track team meeting, and appointment with advisor.

Tuesday: Birthday Brunch with Roommates, paper due in English.

Wednesday: Morning track practice, study group, job interview, lab.

Thursday- wait! It’s only Thursday?!

University students’ schedules fill up fast. Organizing a schedule and staying on top of assignments can get lost in social events and extracurricular activities. The last thing on a student’s mind is how they’re going to stay healthy during the cold & flu season! While living in the dorms, your body is under stress, you aren’t getting quality sleep, and you’re trying to fight off germs from everyone sharing your home. Check out this list of essential dorm living supplies. They’ll help you stay healthy all year so that you never miss a beat!

Back to School – Campus Essentials

Keeping Your Space Fresh
cleanersCrammed, tight, and short on space, there’s no room for extra clutter in a dorm room. Once the clutter begins to pile up, they tend to build quickly. Making sure your room is clean will help you stay healthy, and will make your life easier by preventing unnecessary stress. Avoid using harsh chemical cleaners. The toxins in those cleaners will quickly fill your dorm. Opt for natural cleansers to keep your room fresh. Read this article on the best and worse cleansers for your room, or learn how to make your own cleansers, including a natural oil diffuser (better than chemical air fresheners!), in this article.

Bathroom Necessities and a Dorm Room Spa
The right set of toiletries will make you feel like the dorm shower is a spa (if you close your eyes, at least!). Using the right shampoo and/or conditioner can help you relax.  Remember that hygiene is an important part of staying healthy and warding off germs. Try Castile Soap if you are looking for a hypo-allergenic or natural way to stay clean. Other bathroom essentials that should be on everyone’s list are deodorant, toothpaste, and a toothbrush! Young Living makes a Thieves Toothpaste that will keep your teeth clean and white while keeping your breath fresh and killing germs. For a special treat after long nights of studying, prepare an herbal facial steam and let the stress melt away. It may also help with acne!

Get Some Rest
Without proper sleep, sitting through lectures becomes significantly harder… and so does making it through flu season without becoming a part of it. Sleeping in the dorms can be a real challenge when you factor in your roommate and the thin walls that separate you and your neighbors. Having all of those friends around can be fun, but let’s face it: some days you just need to sleep! Curling up with a mug of SLP, an herbal bedtime tea, is sure to help you doze off faster. Both sedative and relaxing, Valerian root provides relief from insomnia. v1091_sleep_rightEnerHealth Botanicals uses Valerian Root in their Strawberry-Coconut flavored Sleep Right Blend. Just two to four dropperfuls in water or juice thirty minutes before bed will help you rest easy. For an alternative sleep aid, you could also try acupressure. Applying light pressure to specific areas of the wrist will help you relax into your pillow. Remember, a goodnight’s sleep is one of the most important steps in recovering from ailments and keeping your immune system strong. Habit-forming sleep aids could be potentially dangerous, and many of them contain chemicals that are harmful to the body. Stay away from toxins and give herbal supplements a try.

Daily Dorm Life and Habits for Health
vitamins Get into the habit of taking a daily vitamin. College life is unpredictable, and without access to a real kitchen, it’s hard to know if you’re getting enough vitamins and minerals. Even if your cafeteria has a rock solid salad bar, eating exclusively salad for months on end is no fun for anyone. Assure that your body is getting the vitamins it needs by taking a multivitamin and mineral in the morning. Look for a daily vitamin that has Vitamin C, which will help ward off infections, and Vitamin E, which can be harder to find in food sources. Vitamins that use whole foods in their ingredients may be more bioavailable. Try this chewable wafer from Source of Life.

At the beginning of the school year, boost your immune system by supplementing with herbal immunity builders. As everyone converges in the dorms, they bring with them germs and illness from far and wide. With a healthy immune system, you can fight most of those viruses off. Make sure your body is in check! Try Daily Immune Builder, an herbal combination designed to give your immune system extra strength. Garlic, called an “immunity boosting superstar,” is vitamin and mineral rich and has antibacterial properties. Cooked garlic is not as effective. Try Garlic Supplements for a natural whole-food immunity boost! As the school year tugs along, be prepared for cold season. Viruses spread quickly between individuals living in close quarters. Taking Echinacea at the first signs of a cold may help you recover faster.

Natural Chill Pills – Say “No!” to Stress
TNS-Tension Tea_HTStress seems like a fact of life during college, especially when the first wave of homework comes. Preventing extra stress and avoiding anxiety is an important part of enjoying your experience at school and staying happy and healthy. Remember to hang out with friends when you have free time, or blow off steam by doing whatever helps you blow off steam (watch your favorite movie, or take a bath). Getting daily exercise will help keep serotonin pumping in your brain and promote healthy blood flow. If your muscles are tense and you have a tension headache, try Stress Headache, a homeopathic remedy. Prepare a cup of NRV(Nerve Tea) next time you feel like taking some “me time” to really unwind. Made with Lemon Balm, and other calming herbs, TNS can address complaints of headache and anxiety.

Want more? Learn how to Tame Back-to-School Stress, or read tips on Living Well at Home, Work & School. Remember, your brain needs love and care as well! Learn how to stay sharp.

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