Keeping your hands away from your face is a cardinal rule in staying healthy.
Considering that your hands and arms are touching things all day long, if you go to sleep without showering, or at least washing your arms, you'll be transferring germs from your arms to your pillow.

And... if you sleep with your arm under your head, you're now exposing your face to those germs and those germs will enter your system through your eyes and nose.

The simple solution is to take your daily shower just before going to sleep.  

If everyone would barricade (cover) their coughs and sneezes properly, there would be less illness.

How do you cover a sneeze?

1)  Don't cover your sneeze.  BAD.  Germs can shoot out up to 10 ft.

2)  Sneeze into your hands. NOT AS BAD. After sneezing into your hands you will then contaminate everything you touch until you thoroughly wash your hands.

3) Sneeze into your sleeve. BETTER, but it doesn't cover your sneeze very well.

4) Sneeze into a tissue.  BEST.  It will cover your sneeze pretty well and you can then simply dispose of the tissue.

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On November 18th, 2010 I published a post on this blog with a theory about preventing disease.


We all know that germs enter your system primarily through your nose and eyes. We are taught to wash our hands all throughout the day and keep your hands off your face. And that is excellent advice.


One night as I was going to bed, it occurred to me that although I had thoroughly washed my hands – as I slept, my forearms, elbows and upper arms were all over my pillow and my face. Yet those body parts had been resting on tables and chair arms all day and had been exposed to a mass of germs.


So I began a routine of thoroughly washing my entire arms, elbows, forearms, hands and face just before I climb in bed.  I started to feel secure that any germs that touched and stayed on my arms and hands were washed off and my nose and eyes were not exposed to them.


Did it work. You bet.  This was the first winter that I can remember where I had no flu, no colds, no sore throats and no sickness at all, despite everyone around me being sick.


UPDATE 8/14/11.  It’s been 10 months and not a cold or sniffle.  I think I’m on to something.
 
UPDATE 11/01/11.  It’s been almost a year and still very healthy.


UPDATE 3/2/12. It’s been over a year and still very healthy. I’ve been exposed to people coughing and sneezing all over me but the simple washing routine before I go to bed seems to be working. I also have to constantly be aware of not touching my face. It’s hard because we’re always itching something on our face. It takes a lot of self discipline to let the itch exist and know that it will pass. By not touching your face, you aren’t putting germs into your nose and especially your eyes.
 
IT WORKS.  TRY IT.

UPDATE 2/4/13. I finally picked up a slight cold. It's because I was forced, a few days ago, into a situaion where someone with a cold was breathing all over me. I should have walked away, but I didn't.