To wonder why I'm so unhealthy at the moment

[tomhazard]

Starting to feel frustrated as I embark on yet another cold and chesty cough.
Since The start of the year I have had a chest infection, an ear infection and this is my third bad cold accompanied by a temperature etc.
I just don't understand why I'm so unhealthy in recent months and why.
I eat pretty well- I'm a vegetarian but mindful of protein and eat a lot of fruit and veg. I don't smoke. I swim each week and walk quite a bit.
I do not sleep well which has been a life long issue but I do try to mitigate by going to bed early.
I have two young DC and I work full time as a teacher so my stress levels can be high but I don't feel unbearably stressed or miserable about any of this. I also had a side business which can take up evenings but I do love it.
Any ideas what I could do lifestyle wise to be healthier? I'm starting to feel down about it and wondering how I can help myself

Do you eat lots of dairy? That could be contributing.
You say you swim weekly, just once? Any fresh air, sunlight, water?? Do you eat well?

I eat normal amounts of dairy. Yeah I only have time to swim once a week but I do walk to work and back which is 3 miles per day.
I probably do not drink enough water which I should fix but I'm confident that my diet is healthy.

Sorry to hear that, it makes you feel so low when you're constantly I'll doesn't it. It seems like there has been a lot of illnesses around this winter (I know it's April but it really doesn't feel like it yet). The fact that you have 2 children and you work in a school probably doesn't help? I have never had so many colds and viruses since having kids! I guess you may need to take some supplements as that may help. Sounds like you're doing everything else. Hopefully warmer weather will bring less bugs!

I'm wondering the exactly the same. I can't remember the art time o didn't have a cough or cold (and I'm usually never ill).
I work with children too and yberr seems to be so many bugs around and I've caught every one which is really unusual for me.
I get plenty of fresh air and try to eat lots of fruit and veg, I've been completely dairy free since Christmas and get still feel like crap.

It's the bad weather, and in your case, being around children all day as a teacher.

Have you tried probiotics and vitamin b?

Bubbly I'm sorry to hear you've been ill a lot too. I expect working with children doesn't help!

Over I haven't tried these and I will thank you

I have two young DC and I work full time as a teacher

I think this is your answer. I have never had so many bugs as when my DC were little. I went to the doctor after my 4th virus in 6 months and she said the people who get sick frequently are generally parents, teachers, commuters and frontline NHS staff.

The only thing she suggested was to take echinacea.

Hope you feel better soon x

There's a very nasty virus going around this year which reoccurs/never quite gets better. I'm on my second bout. I'm rarely ill usually.

I feel I could have written this myself, I was just telling DH last night that I am fed up of feeling run down now and want to feel normal again. Likewise since Christmas this is also my third chesty cough/painful infection whatever it might be, to the point I had to give up swimming last week because I couldn't catch my breath! That has started to clear and now I have tonsillitis! I too am healthy and exercise regularly, vegetarian, two young children, so I am at a loss as to why I am getting like this, when usually at the most I will perhaps have one sickness bug a year not four in a row! I don't bother going to the doctor as in the past I have just received the same response, viral, rest and pain killers. I too am a horrendous sleeper!

I have started drinking turmeric milk made with soy...1 cup, 1 tsp turmeric, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1 tbsp honey and a pinch of pepper. Boiled on the hob, takes 5 minutes, and is actually pretty tasty. Not sure if this has helped or not but supposed to be good. Also been having salt baths. Lemon juice and hot water! Steaming my face over the kettle!

Anything to feel normal again because I am fed up of this also. Good luck you are not alone!

It’s not dairy.
It’s been a terrible winter for bugs in general. It’s been very dark as well which makes you feel a bit crap. There was an article on our news thevother weeks saying the number of sick leave and ‘looking after sick kids’ leave applications this winter has been exceptional, and anecdotal evidence from everyone I know backs that up.

I’d have a checkup with your GP to check your iron, thyroid, b12 (veggies can get low quite easily) and vitamin D levels. That should pick up any of the obvious physical easy-fix causes.

Hopefully spring is just around the corner (gazes wistfully at ankle deep snow in back yard.)

Sorry, didn't mean to post so quickly... Find the thread 'Anyone else had this awful virus'.

I've had two lots of fever, aches, cough and cold within six weeks.

Thank you all so much for suggestions and sorry to hear that others are constantly sick too!
I agree that working with children doesn't help but I've been a teacher for a decade and never been ill so constantly not even in my first year! My youngest dc is a source of colds and coughs for sure and he's liberal with his cuddles and kisses...

I’m in the same boat op 😕 I eat generally a lot of vegetables, more fruit juice but has never been an issue in the past. Used to only get 2 colds a year and that’s with having 2 dc at school. Since September last year I’ve had a sickness bug that caused gastritis which lasted 5 weeks, then in December I had a cold, then laryngitis, then Aussie flu which lasted 23 days. Then got a cold, was okay for a few weeks then got another cold and a bad cough and now just getting over another cold. It’s like I can’t get a grip on it. I’ve not changed any habits all the same so finding it hard to understand why. So any advice you get I will take too.

I used to get lots of colds but they have significantly reduced in the last few years. I had a bad cold in October, that was the first in 3 years despite being around people who had colds and commuting on packed transport. I started taking a 1000mg of Vitamin C a day, a multivitamin, a Vitamin B12 spray, and A Vitamin D spray. After the lingering Oct cold I added zinc. I also keep a couple of bottles of Vicks First Defence around and if I am near someone with a cold I start using it preventively. My DH has just had an absolute stinker of a cold which I was convinced I would get, so I started using the FD religiously. I never got it. I also think stress plays a big part in the ability to fight off the myriad of viruses that we are exposed too. I was very stressed in the Autumn and I think the bugs saw an opportunity and went for it.

Timefortea thank you I am literally going to copy those supplements exactly!
I agree entirely that stress doesn't help. Whilst I am not stressed particularly I don't actually like the school I work in which I suppose creates a layer of stress in the non-traditional sense.

Vitamins definitely help but I also think sometimes you can get one thing and that knocks you and you end up getting more things while your immune system is down.
I had that a couple of years ago and it was awful I was genuinely under the weather for about 8 months and I felt like shit. It went on so long that I was feeling really guilty because everyone keeps telling you it’s things like dairy and not enough exercise. Though obviously your diet is super important, viruses are viruses and sometimes they take a long time to shake. Be really kind to yourself and don’t push yourself to do crazy things like run a marathon in the believe it’s just because you aren’t doing enough.
Our culture loves to blame people illnesses on them but sometimes shit happens and you just need to rest.

I'm the same - I have one thing after another all winter ever since I had a baby. This year I don't think I've had more than 3-4 days well between bugs. I also work full time in a fairly stressful role, but I think the main issue is living with a little germ factory who picks up everything going and smears goo around the house. I'm so sick of it. It impedes my ability to exercise because I'm never well enough, but it would probably help my immunity if I could!

I think there has been an unusually high number of bugs around this year. As a teacher and having D.C. you will be in contact with them a lot.

Your lack of sleep may have something to do with it and I would take supplements. I was constantly catching colds from my 2 year old granddaughter who we look after regularly and started taking vitamin C. Since then I have not had one.

If you stay in a lot then you might be low in Vitamin D as PP have mentioned. I was veggie for a years and used to get sick frequently so decided to introduce wild salmon into my diet once or twice a week. I’ve felt so much better since x

I had a spell of around 6 months liked this. Get your bloods done. I was anemic. Loads better after course of iron.

Like a pp said, first defence at the first sign of a cold plus echinacea drops.

I also avoid touching my face and wash my hands as soon as I’m home