How To Stay Healthy during Harmattan

During harmattan in Nigeria, the air is dusty and dry. So dry that at some point the insides of your nose begin to hurt and breathing becomes a problem. Your lips crack painfully and your skin feels like scales. Additionally, the soles of your feet may break, and sometimes your palms may start to peel. Such is the ordeal you may go through during harmattan in Nigeria. There's still the constant battle with respiratory issues like catarrh and asthma. But the situation is not hopeless. This article will provide you with simple tips on how to stay healthy during harmattan. 

Typically, the harmattan season begins to peep in late November and gets into full gear in December. The severity of harmattan depends on where you are in Nigeria. The weather is milder in the southeast and particularly colder and dustier in cities like Plateau, Kano, Taraba, Adamawa, and Bauchi. Apart from the cold and dust, the harmattan season is characterised by thick haze.

Below are tips you can follow to ensure that you stay healthy during harmattan. 

• Drink a lot of water

Particularly at that time of year, you should increase water intake because it helps your body stay hydrated. Dehydration is more likely during harmattan because of the excessive dryness of the air. Therefore, take a bottle of water with you everywhere you go. This helps facilitate the movement of mucus. Also, hot coffee will help you stay warm during this season.

• Eat a lot of fruits and veggies

Normally, fruits and veggies are good for your body. But particularly during the harmattan season, it helps your body fight infections. It contains vitamins and minerals that can immunize your body flu, cough, and the common cold. Additionally, it also helps your body stay hydrated. 

• Take lemon and honey mixed in warm water

This mixture is highly recommended during the harmattan season. The season comes with a lot of throat issues. So honey and lemon mixed in warm water help your throat stay moisturized. And if there's irritation it can help soothe it. Naturally, honey is a reliever for cold and cough.

• Less exposure

This is a given. Nobody in their right mind will expose themselves in the harmattan season. But there's a difference between covering up and covering up properly. In a bid to look fashionable some people ditch thick clothes in favour of chic designs. You can look nice too in thick clothing, and stay healthy more importantly. Cover your head, either with a head warmer, a hood or a headline. 

Also, when you're indoors, keep your feet inside thick socks. And when you're going outdoor wear your shoes and gloves. This is particularly for people in Plateau, where the cold attacks the hands and feet. The trick is to generally minimize exposure.

• Skincare

The harmattan brings with it a lot of skin problems like cracked lips and peeling palms. You have to go out of your way to protect your skin. A lot of creams don't have enough moisture in them, so they cannot adequately moisturize your skin. So it is recommended that you add your preferred oil product to your cream. There are many oil products like coconut and olive oil. Make sure every area of your skin gets enough cream and oil to keep it moisturized. 

For your lips, take time out to regularly moisturize it with lip gloss or any of your preferred lip moisturizer. For people who get skin reactions during the harmattan season, make sure to see your doctor. 

Read also: The Best Nigerian Skincare Secrets