The Cold Front

Hardly anyone escapes the late fall and winter season without one nasty case of the sniffles, sneezes and achy throat. But there is good news: You can reduce your chances of catching a cold by taking some simple steps.

Keep your nose clean. In order to catch a cold, the virus needs to lodge itself in the nasopharynx (where nose meets mouth), so the goal is to keep germs away from the base of the nose. Wash your hands often with an antibacterial soap, and keep your hands away from your nose and eyes.

Drink a lot of water. Spending an entire day in an office building or a couple of hours in an airplane means you're breathing recirculated air. This air distributes viruses among all people present and dries out mucus membranes that normally, when moist, would trap invaders. Drinking plenty of liquids, especially water, helps to loosen mucus and carry away the debris of infection. During air travel, you should drink about eight ounces for each hour you spend in a plane.

Catch your Z's. Sleep helps keep your immune system humming, so get plenty of rest to both ward off a cold and shorten its life span. In addition, stress may make people more prone to colds-so try to stay cheerful.