Beyond not feeling well, taking a sick day can cause stress from feeling idle or unproductive. However, it is extremely productive for your health and the health of those around you.

Sometimes you have no choice but to allow yourself to take a pause, rest, and heal. The best thing to do is ensure you get the most out of your day of rest to get back to your day-to-day routine.

Don’t know how to properly disinfect? What to eat? How much to rest? We’ve got everything you need to know.

Here is our complete guide for a restorative sick day.

How to Disinfect When You’re Sick

It is important to properly and thoroughly disinfect your home when you are under the weather. It is ideal to have a clean space to help you fight off your sickness and feel better.

Additionally, when living with roommates or your family, you want to minimize the risk of passing on what you have as much as possible. Therefore we have included our tips for disinfecting and keeping things clean.

What Cleaning Products to Use for Disinfecting

There is a difference between cleaning and disinfecting. While soap and warm water are great for regular cleaning, they sometimes miss the mark for thorough disinfecting.

To ensure that your disinfecting measures are truly successful, it is important to know what cleaning products eliminate germs. Be sure to read the labels and follow the directions on the product.

Look for products to add to your cleaning routine that are “disinfectants” specially formulated to kill germs and bacteria. The goal is to not only sanitize and kill 99.9% of bacteria but viruses as well.

Where to Disinfect

The idea of attempting to disinfect your entire home is daunting and might be unachievable when you’re not feeling well.

Here’s a quick list of the main spots to wipe down:

  • Handles and corresponding surfaces you touch daily such as doorknobs, cabinets, and sinks
  • Kitchen appliances (refrigerator, microwave, countertop, dishwasher, etc.)
  • Light switches
  • Bedroom furniture
  • Dining table and coffee table
  • Bathroom, especially the counters and outside of drawers
  • Car door and steering wheel, if needed.

A simple rule of thumb you can follow is: if it’s part of your daily routine, clean it.

How Often to Disinfect When You’re Sick

The next question you may be asking is how often you should be disinfecting all these items and places in your home.

While the true answer is as often as you use them, the more realistic answer is as often as you can. If you are able to disinfect twice on a sick day, then that is a success.

As it is, you are taking a sick day because you are not well enough to work, so don’t wear yourself out further by attempting to clean your whole house.

One place we do recommend disinfecting regularly is where you eat and prepare food.

How to Properly Rest and Relax When You’re Sick

Along with disinfecting, properly resting and allowing your body to heal is extremely important. You want to ensure you are making the most out of your recovery time. This way you don’t have to take more off or risk still being sick when returning to work.

Restful Sleep

When you’re perfectly healthy, it is ideal to shoot for six to eight hours of sleep every night. However, when you’re sick, your body needs as much sleep as possible to regain its strength.

Listen to your body throughout the day. Taking naps is perfectly normal when your sick and highly encouraged, especially if you feel exhausted by the early afternoon.

To ensure restful sleep, there are a few things you can do before bed:

  • Put down your phone, close your computer, and turn off your tv two hours before going to sleep
  • Drink a cup of hot herbal tea
  • Avoid caffeine
  • Turn on a humidifier, if you have one
  • Eat a healthy dinner early in the evening, avoid large meals close to bed

No Strenuous Activities

Your sick day is not the time to get a good workout in.

Additionally, don’t use this break from work to take on any big tasks in your home such as reorganizing a room or clearing the garage.

Getting fresh air and going for a light walk could be beneficial, depending on your illness, but overexerting your body can prolong your recovery and might cause symptoms to worsen.

What to Eat When You’re Sick

Along with adequate sleep, you need to consume healthy meals.

What you fuel your body with during a sick day is of the utmost importance. Focus on consuming food that will boost your immune system and help you regain your strength.

Check out our blog on immune-boosting foods for more ideas.

  • Leafy greens and vegetables
  • Citrus
  • Eggs
  • Yogurt
  • Sweet potatoes
  • Cauliflower
  • Honey and ginger
  • Broth-based soup
  • Berries
  • Bananas
  • Fluids

To emphasize the last point in our list, fluids are by far the most important thing to have throughout your sick day. Along with water and lots of electrolytes, try hot herbal tea with honey or ginger.

Listen to Your Body

Ultimately, taking time to recover when you are sick is important for your health, as well as the health of those around you. Listen to your body and seek medical attention when needed. If you have any concerns regarding your symptoms or being to feel worse, visit your doctor or local ER Near Me for evaluation.

ER Near Me Cleaning Checklist Disinfecting Your House