In the winter, there are no more bacteria or viruses wandering around, ready to block or slow you down in your studies, than at other times of the year. There are those that surround us, there are those that penetrate us and there are those that are already there, including those we need to live, and then there are others that can weaken us. In the end, the problem is the immune system.
What's the point of being motivated and organized to study if you let an outside force attack you and interfere in your daily life? Obviously, in some cases, you can't help it, even if sometimes it is possible to anticipate health problems with a regular check-up. Still, you need to have the time and the means, but would you have used it or even just thought about it, if you had the time and the money? Nothing is less certain.
Let's focus on the cases where you can react. If you need to build up your strength by working on your immune defences, then you may want to consider setting up a specific winter schedule. This can result in a special menu.
Probiotics
Since you've probably eaten yoghurt or cheese at least once in your life, this means that you've also absorbed what are called probiotics, which are also present in some cereals. These are micro-organisms that are sometimes used as supplements to food products. Their purpose is to act on your health, in particular on your immune system's defences.
For their effects to be effective, you should have a stock of yoghurts, enough to feed you at least ten days continuously over a month. You must consume it on a recurring basis, as these bacteria are not able to take their place in the existing intestinal flora beyond a certain period. Their effects will therefore be limited in time.
Their impact on the immune system has already been demonstrated on babies as well as on sportsmen and women, the latter seeing their immune system diminished following too intense physical efforts.
A hellish winter
Probiotics are a good way to avoid rhinopharyngitis, which is so expensive in winter, not because of the cold, but because of promiscuity, with individuals tending to stay among themselves or in confined spaces, which increases viral transmission. Only the loneliest among you will escape unharmed. As long as you regularly ventilate where you study.
Winter is all the more disturbing as the air is very dry during this period. The mucous membrane of the nose being more fragile, it becomes vulnerable to viruses.
Nutrition
With or without probiotics, whatever precautions are taken in your immediate environment, it is a question of eating a variety of foods at the same time to give yourself the best chance of success.
The goal is to access what you may be missing:
- vitamins: you can rely on raw fruit and vegetables, but also on tubes of vitamins if necessary;
- sugar: avoid white sugar, compared to whole cane sugar which contains more nutrients.
Honey is an interesting alternative to other sugars in more ways than one (with regularity, but without excess, like everything else) :
- it has antibiotic properties acting on the reproductive capacity of bacteria,
- it can also have a positive effect on the immune system (but should be avoided if a member of your family has Crohn's disease),
It will also be interesting to favour versions containing royal jelly, which contains several sugars, vitamins and trace elements, among others.
Anything that strengthens your immune system will generally help you fight fatigue. Your strength should be concentrated on your plate!