![](https://cdn.healthyhabits.care/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/1-hand-washing.jpg)
1. You don’t wash your hands properly
We don’t have to highlight the importance of hand-washing, but it might be useful to point out what you must do to wash your hands like pros. According to a family medicine doctor at Duke Health in Durham, North Carolina, Matthew Mathias, MD, you should wash your hands with warm water and mild soap for at least 20 seconds.
Proper hand-washing is the first thing to do to prevent common colds, as well as COVID-19.
2. You spend way too many hours in front of the TV
As a general rule, if you have a 9-to-5 job, you’ll most likely binge-watch your favorite Netflix series when you get home. This means that you’re not getting enough sleep. A lack of sleep can affect your immune system, the first barrier in fighting off colds.
Sleep expert Richard Shane, Ph.D., says that sleep deprivation can actually decrease the number of white blood cells and antibodies. In fact, numerous studies suggest that people with sleeping issues tend to catch a common cold more often than those who get enough hours of sleep.