Monsoon Rain on your Health

Table of Content

• How does Rainy Weather Affect Your Health?

• Common Monsoon Diseases

• Foods to Avoid During Rainy Season

• Take-Home Points

• FAQ on Monsoon Rain on your Health

How does Rainy Weather Affect Your Health?

Rainy seasons are the best time for the reproduction of many pathogenic microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi. The rain waters also form stagnations that form breeding grounds for several vectors like mosquitoes. This way, air-borne and water-borne diseases become prominent during the rainy seasons, thereby making you ill and sick. 

Common Monsoon Diseases

As said above, monsoon seasons are infamous for increasing microbial infections and thereby infections. Here are the common monsoon diseases that can wreak havoc on your health. 

• Cholera

• Typhoid

• Viral Fever

• Diarrhoea

• Influenza

• Leptospirosis

• Stomach Infections

• Dengue 

• Chikungunya

• Malaria

Foods to Avoid During Rainy Season

Foods are the fuel to your body but they can be counterproductive if taken at the wrong time. Not all foods are meant to be eaten during rainy seasons. Here are some of the foods that you should avoid during the rainy season.

• Green leafy vegetables: Though green leafy vegetables are healthy, the rainy season is the time when these leaves would be having a heavy microbial load, thereby making you easily catch infections. So, even if you consume it, ensure the proper cooking time and thorough washing. 

• Seafood: Like green leafy vegetables, seafood is not so safe to eat because the monsoon season is the time when the sea organisms breed and you would get frozen foods and not fresh foods that time (since monsoon seasons are when sea organisms breed). This usually increases the probability of infection from many hazardous microorganisms and their toxins. 

• Spicy Foods: Digestion is usually low during the rainy season and spicy foods require a lot of time for getting fully digested. So, having spicy foods increases the risk of catching gastrointestinal problems.

• Fizzy Drinks: Fizzy foods are generally harmful to the body but they are more harmful during monsoon seasons as they reduce the already lower metabolic rate and enzymatic reactions of the body, thereby causing various gastric issues. 

14 Rain Season Tips to Stay Healthy

It’s not easy to stay healthy during the rainy seasons - so here we have prepared a list of 14 tips for helping you out.

1. Stay Away from Heavy Downpours

Getting yourself drenched during the rains may seem enjoyable but they are not so good for your health. You can catch a persistent headache, cold and fever when you stay wet in the rain for a long time. 

2. Consume a Good Amount of Vitamin C

Consuming Vitamin C helps your body in fighting infections and also increases the resistance towards new pathogens. Consuming lots of vitamin C helps your body to overcome many monsoon diseases. The foods which are rich in vitamin C are, 

• Citrus fruits like oranges and mandarin

• Peppers

• Strawberries

• Blackcurrants

• Broccoli

• Potatoes

3. Take Hot Showers

Having a warm shower helps you in eliminating the microbial infection that has a high probability of spreading through the skin. Hot showers also increase your energy levels and kick-start your day during depressive morning drizzles. 

4. Avoid Cold Drinks

Cold drinks increase the risk of getting throat infections and thus it is best to avoid them during the rainy seasons. Instead of having cold drinks, you can have warm beverages like tea or coffee. 

5. Stay Hydrated

Staying hydrated is the key to staying healthy! Having at least three litres of water a day helps you in building immunity and increases your metabolism. 

6. Avoid Hotel Cooked Foods

With the reduced metabolic rate and immunity, it is hard for your body to fight infections. So, try your best to limit yourself to home-cooked foods while avoiding roadside or hotel-made items.

7. Use Mosquito Repellents

Vector-propagated diseases like malaria and dengue can affect you anytime during the rainy seasons. Using mosquito repellents and mosquito nets will help you in fighting these diseases and keep you healthy.

8. Carry Umbrella and Raincoat Everywhere

Since you can expect a downpour anytime, it is best to carry an umbrella and raincoat wherever you go. This habit keeps you protected and healthy. 

9. Have Personal Hygiene

Keep yourself clean by having a regular bath and tidy clothes. Good personal hygiene helps you to ward off pathogens and infections. 

10. Consume Fruits and Vegetables

Since fruits and vegetables are high in antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, they greatly help you in adding resistance and strength to your body for fighting the infection-causing microbes. Other than that, fruits and vegetables also help you in hydrating your body and keep you healthy. 

11. Include Spices like Garlic and Turmeric

Spices like garlic and turmeric have great anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. So, it is best to add them to your diet during monsoon seasons. 

12. Have Low Sodium Diet

Keep your salt intake to a minimum during rainy seasons, thereby reducing blood pressure and heart attacks. So, try to avoid salty chips, salted butter, cheese, pickles and junk foods.

13. Familiarise with Dry Foods

Having dry foods will help you in speeding up digestion and avoid gastric issues like bloating. So, add more corn, peanuts and chickpeas to your diet. 

14. Avoid Heavy Snacks

As said above, you would have a really weak digestive system during rainy seasons. Hence it is better to avoid heavy and fatty foods. 

Take-Home Points

• Monsoon rains increase the probability of you getting sick as they provide an atmosphere and breeding grounds for many pathogens and vectors.

• Common monsoon diseases are typhoid, diarrhoea, influenza, malaria, dengue, chikungunya and viral fever. 

• Try to avoid deep-fried and spicy foods during monsoon seasons these foods digest slowly and cause gastrointestinal problems. 

References

• Monsoon impacts on Early Childhood

• Monsoon and UV Radiation impact on COVID