Whether you are a fresher or a second- or third-year student, at some point in your time at university, you are bound to get a dreaded case of 'freshers flu'.
As the name of the flu suggests, you are more likely to get the illness in your first few weeks of studying at university, due to all the socialising that occurs at the start of term as you make new friends on campus.
However, there are many ways that students can avoid freshers flu this year but if you are one of the unlucky ones who has already fallen victim to the student cold, there are also many ways to bolster your immune system before lectures are in full swing.
But what causes freshers flu and what symptoms does it include?
Here's everything you need to know.
What is freshers flu?
It is important to know that freshers flu is not actually a medical term and what you may be feeling is an awful cold.
The illness is, however, a mixture of physical and psychological factors, which can disrupt your immune system and cause you to feel rubbish for a week or two.
Freshers flu is normally caused by a combination of things, including:
- Lack of sleep - Students experience a severe lack of sleep during Freshers Week due to socialising and adjusting to new lifestyles.
- Meeting new people - Mingling is a big part of the university experience and is vital in the first few weeks in order to make friends, however, some people could be carrying viruses that you are not immune to.
- Alcohol - Drinking alcohol in excess can weaken immune systems over time.
- Stress - Starting university for the first time can be a stressful experience and can cause homesickness or anxiety.
- Eating unhealthily - Many students tend to turn to junk food due to hangovers and lack of time during Freshers Week which can often make you feel worse in the long run.
Symptoms of freshers flu
There are many symptoms of freshers flu that are similar to the common cold and the flu.
According to the NHS website, flu symptoms can include:
- Sudden high temperature
- Aches and pains
- Feeling tired or exhausted
- Dry cough
- Sore throat
- Headache
- Difficulty sleeping
- Loss of appetite
- Diarrhoea or tummy pain
- Feeling sick and being sick.
How to cure freshers flu
Although freshers flu can be awful when you have it, it can be beaten fairly quickly if you carry out the following steps:
- Stick to a healthy diet - When you have freshers flu, it's important to get plenty of vitamin C into your diet to boost your immune system.
- Increase your water intake - Freshers flu can often be made worse due to dehydration so make sure to flush through the illness with plenty of water.
- Take paracetamol or ibuprofen - Although there is not a direct cure for freshers flu, painkillers like paracetamol can make the symptoms more bearable. Flu remedies can also help.
- Have plenty of sleep - If you are sleep deprived, you symptoms of freshers flu could be worse so make sure to get plenty of sleep to de-stress.
- Step up your hygiene regime - To stop the dreaded freshers flu from making a return, use antibacterial hand sanitiser to kill germs.
If your symptoms of freshers flu start to worsen, contact your GP or check out the NHS website for more information.
