The festive season is finally upon us, and with all of the fun and laughter comes many illnesses that could ruin your Christmas. Many people make the mistake of ignoring symptoms that arise in fear of doing exactly that. Either that, or they self diagnose themselves and put it to the back of their mind. However, many underlying illnesses have what seem like minor symptoms, but can leave you very poorly indeed. Here are the symptoms you shouldn’t ignore this winter so that you can ensure you’re as healthy as possible.

Change in bladder or bowel movements

While it’s not something you’d bring up in regular conversation, you should be making note of any unusual movement in your bladder or bowels. In the wintertime, norovirus usually makes its rounds, so that may be a cause of unusual bowel movements. However, if this doesn’t go away, you could have something more serious making its way to the surface such as diabetes or bowel cancer. If you do notice anything out of the ordinary, speak to your GP as soon as possible.

Rapid heartbeat

A fast heartbeat can come from many different things; exercise, excitement, suspense, and even anxiety. However, as you already know, the heart is the most important organ in your body as it’s what keeps the blood pumping around your system, and if there’s a problem with your heart you’re going to want to get it sorted sooner rather than later. Your GP may send you for a heart scan to determine the cause of your rapid heartbeat. You may be wondering what is a heart scan? In short, it’s the easiest method of checking the heart for any abnormalities, but you can read more on the link above.

A persistent cough

At this time of year it’s not unusual to catch the common cold, which can cause you to develop symptoms such as a cough. With a regular common cold your cough should go away within a few weeks. A cough that lasts longer than this could be showing signs of something more serious such as bronchitis, pneumonia, or even a disease such as asthma or COPD. As you know, ensuring you’re able to breathe properly is a priority, so go and get yourself checked if your cough won’t go away.

Drier skin than normal

Finally, it’s not out of the ordinary to have drier skin in the winter time. This is because the colder air can quickly dry out your skin, leaving it feeling rough and sometimes cracked or painful. You should keep an eye on your skin condition because if it worsens dramatically or becomes too brittle, you could end up with multiple infections, or even developing a nasty case of dermatitis.

Keep an eye out for these symptoms so that you can stay as healthy as possible this winter!