DURING the summer months many of us will be jetting off on holiday, squeezing into packed festival tents, cramming into packed public transport and cranking up the air conditioning, all of which places us in nice easy reach of lingering airborne cold bugs.

Most of us think we’re safe at this time of year from those pesky viruses, but unfortunately there’s still time for them to strike.

Stress (holiday parking, festival loo queues) and a dried out nasal passage lining (in flight air conditioning) plus contact with contaminated surfaces all increase our susceptibility.

Our holiday destinations will also have a whole host of new cold viruses we haven’t yet been exposed to, which we lack immunity against.

So to alleviate the summer sniffles misery make sure you follow these top tips...

1)      Prevention is better than cure, so try NasalGuard Cold&FluBLOCK® (£11.99, 150 applications, Boots, Superdrug, Alliance Pharmacies and Sainsbury’s).

Simply apply the gel around the nostrils and upper lip throughout the day to capture and neutralise viruses before they enter your body.

Its drug free and clinically proven and even better - will help you avoid an unsightly red nose clashing with your tan.


2)      Keep hydrated; as well as staying topped up with fluids you can directly hydrate the nasal passage, to aid with congestion and cold prevention, using steam inhalation.

Try a Breathe Easy Steam Inhaler (£7.99 at Betterware).


3)      To help de-stress and keep your immune system in tip top condition, get plenty of rest whist at home and away.

Do it in style with an M&S Luxury Neck Pillow (£12.00 at Marks and Spencer), complete with a warm side and cool side for extra comfort and relief.

You can even remove the washable cover to avoid spreading those germs further.


4)       Stop germ contamination from skin to surface or skin to skin contact; keep your hands bacteria free with Dettol E45 Handwash (£2.49, available at Boots and major supermarkets), it kills 99.9 per cent of bacteria and in combination with Dettol Cleansing Surface Wipes (£2.03 for 36 sheets, available from all leading retailers and supermarkets) which also remove 90 per cent of allergens, your surroundings and hands will be a healthier place.