7 Habits That Make the Flu Worse
7 Habits That Could Be Causing Your Flu Symptoms to Linger Even Longer
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Staying hydrated helps thin mucus and break up congestion, so eventually, that icky stuff can make its way out of your body. "If you have a respiratory infection, like influenza, the goal is to try and get that virus out of you, which your body does by using something called the mucociliary escalator in your throat and your lungs," Paul A. Offit, MD, director of the Vaccine Education Centre at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and professor of pediatrics and vaccinology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, told POPSUGAR. "That works best to get these viruses out of the cells if the fluid is easily moved."
Dr. Greenblatt further explained that becoming dehydrated can have significant consequences. "Dehydration begins by interfering with the normal flushing action that clears out your ears, nose, and throat," she said. "Thick dry mucus is more likely to form blockages that predispose you to ear infection, sinus infection, and sore throat. More severe dehydration will prevent you from efficiently clearing out the dead germs and white blood cells that accumulate during an infection, so you will feel more aches and pains and be slower to recover."