Bundling Up in Boston

Wrapped in multiple scarves and somewhat resembling plump marshmallows, students quickly scamper across a brutally cold, snow-covered campus. This is a scene returning Boston University students can easily envision. That cold is swiftly approaching again and the official beginning of winter is less than a month away.

During the colder months in Boston, ask most people on the street and they’ll tell you there aren’t many places with winter weather quite as bitter or unpleasant as Boston’s. And with the telltale sniffles of another flu season beginning its chorus in lectures across campus, it is important to be well informed about how to stave off winter-related sicknesses and, of course, how to get rid of them if you happen to fall ill.

Appropriate Apparel

One of the most important things to consider when gearing up for the cold winter weather is clothing choices, said Denise Buckley, director of nursing at Student Health Services. She said layering is essential to keeping warm and dry and, in turn, healthy.

“Layered clothing is best and wear water resistant if you’re outside in the rain or snow,” she said.

Dave Benedum, an assistant manager at Eastern Mountain Sports, agreed with Buckley, saying dressing in layers is important but also suggested using concealable long underwear.

“In the city, really there’s not much else that you need to know then just wearing long underwear,” he said. “But generally, layers are one of the key points. The more layers you wear, the warmer you’ll be. It also allows you to remove outer layers if you get too hot.

“Something that would be waterproof and breathable, like a Gore-Tex shell, would certainly help protect against the elements-wind in particular,” he said.

People lose a lot of heat through their head, Benedum said. He suggested students wear something to cover their heads.

“Wear a hat,” he said. “A windproof fleece is always going to be nice because it keeps wind off as well as keeping you insulated.”

Appropriate footwear is also something students should consider, Buckley said, adding that “water resistant or waterproof footwear” is a definite must for Boston winters. Benedum said choosing footwear based upon popular styles will not keep students warm. He suggested wearing warm socks for added comfort.

“With students in particular the UGGs are always popular,” he said. “But really with footwear, any type of shoe will suffice as long as you have warm socks. Nonetheless, [UGGs] wouldn’t have been my first choice.”

Layering clothing and having waterproof shoes is an overall good decision in New England weather, but there are still lots of students walking down Commonwealth Avenue with flip-flops on, said Raphael Arar, a freshman in the School of Management.

“The whole flip-flop thing [is] not too smart when it’s 40 [degrees] and below,” he said.

Despite the rare sandal-wearing student, Arar said, “I think that students dress accordingly … to both weather and style.”

He added that his personal style takes a back seat when it’s cold out and that being comfortable and warm is more important to him than looking stylish.

College of Arts and Sciences junior Kristin Martowe echoed Arar’s opinions and said comfort and warmth are the most important things she considers when getting dressed for the cold weather. As for her fellow students, she said that they dress “generally more towards the weather, since the weather’s so severe.”

As for wearing flip-flops during the winter?

“I’d say [people that wear flip flops] are probably not from a cold weather climate,” Martowe said.

COMBAT CATCHING a COLD

The winter months seem to usher in a slew of illnesses the second the temperatures start to drop. But it is not the cold weather that directly causes sickness, Buckley said.

“Illnesses are not due to getting cold or wet … [they’re] caused by viruses and bacteria,” she said.

The immune system acts as a person’s defense shield against germs and illnesses. When a someone doesn’t protect themselves by dressing appropriately during the winter months it can leave his or her immune system weak and therefore less able to fight off the flu or a similar illness, Buckley said.

“Your immune system fights bacterial and viral illnesses,” according to the Student Health Services website. “Therefore it is important to avoid behaviors that lower immune system efficiency such as: lack of sleep, stress, poor diet and alcohol.”

Buckley echoed several of the website’s assertions.

“Students need to keep healthy by not getting overly tired, eating properly and setting reasonable study schedules and sticking to that plan,” he said.

By following these easy guidelines, Buckley said students can keep their immune systems strong and capable of fighting off illness.

Even being extra vigilant about sleep schedules and weather-related attire is sometimes not enough to prevent an illness. Buckley said students will often go to class even though they are still sick so they don’t miss any important information. This puts the people near them at a higher risk of catching their illness.

“When [a student] sees that another student is ill, [they should] avoid close contact with that student,” Buckley recommended. “Students should keep in their backpack some antiseptic gel and use it frequently, especially during the winter months.”

The gel can especially help keep students healthy because many of the illnesses circulating through the university population are “upper respiratory infectionsand flu or other viral infections,” she added.

Sometimes even the most wary student succumbs to the myriad illnesses floating around during the winter months. For such a case, the Student Health Services website offers some tips to help battle an illness.

Gargling with saline every 2 to 3 hours can ease the pains of a sore throat while nose drops and steam inhalation will help clear up nasal and sinus congestion, according to the website. Staying hydrated is especially important and the website suggested that students drink 6 to 8 glasses of water or juice a day.