The other day I sneezed in front of my kids. Of course like any good Mom, I covered my mouth and nose and made a big deal out of saying “Excuse me!” Boy was I wrong! “Mom,” they said, “You’re supposed to sneeze into your elbow!”

It’s true. Growing up, we were always taught to cover our mouths when we cough or sneeze. The problem with that practice is that most of us don’t wash our hands nearly enough to kill all the germs – especially young kids. After coughing or sneezing into them, we generally keep going with whatever we were doing, spreading germs to every surface we touch.

That is why kids are now being taught in school to sneeze and cough into their sleeves or elbows. That way their hands stay clean. It feels awkward at first, but it sure makes sense!

Just FYI, if you do still sneeze into your hands out of habit, washing all of the germs off your hands takes longer than you would think. The CDC recommends rubbing your hands for 20 seconds — about the length of time it takes to sing “Happy Birthday” twice.

If you don’t have access to soap and water, experts seem to agree that the hand sanitizers work just as well. In fact, the sanitizers with moisturizers may even be gentler for your skin during the dry winter than good old-fashioned soap and water!

One of the best defenses against the common cold is keeping your hands clean.

As a reminder - flu season is just around the corner! Be sure to get your flu shots to prepare for the winter. Preventative care can help you to address potential problems before they become a threat to your health. Being healthy can also significantly reduce health insurance costs. IBD is an authorized agency for BCBSNC and our goal is to provide you with the most options for affordable health care in NC. Working together, we can succeed in optimizing your health and your health care costs!

Tags: Healthy Living //