Tips To Survive Common Cold

What exactly is the common cold?

The common cold is a viral infection of the upper respiratory tract that mainly affects the nose. The common cold may also affect the throat, sinuses, and larynx. Moreover, an individual with cold infection may experience headache, sneezing, runny nose, cough, sore throat, and fever.

The common cold is a viral infection so antibiotics will not help to treat it. According to the CDC, “Taking antibiotics unreasonably can actually hinder their effectiveness, especially when you actually don’t have any bacterial infection.” There is no cure for the common cold, however, you can follow some tips to survive the difficulties of the common cold.

What can you do to survive the common cold?

The common cold lasts for approx. 7- 10 days. If your cold doesn’t get better with time, consult with your doctor right way, because you might be suffering from fever, or pneumonia, or any other health condition. As there is no cure for common cold, you can follow these to survive the common cold:

1. Do gargles with Epsom salt water – Gargling with warm salt water won’t magically fix your sore throat, but it can give you some relief. Gargling can moisten a sore throat. It helps thin out mucus (build-up in the respiratory tract and nasal cavity) and expels it. You can do this practice four times a day. A teaspoon of Epsom salt in warm water can help reduce the tickle in your throat. Moreover, gargling flushes out the bacteria that are causing the common cold symptoms at first place.
2. Take steamy shower – Stuffed up? Draw a hot, steamy shower. The moist air of steamy shower moisturizes your nasal passage and relaxes you. And if you don’t feel like taking shower, fill your sink spigot with the hot water and lean over it with a towel draped over your head. Breathe in the hot, moist air. It will make you feel better.
3. Get Your Flu Shot – You may think of the flu as a minor problem, but it can become very serious if you don’t take care of it properly. You may need to stay in bed for days. The common cold infection can even be dangerous, especially for young children, older adults, and pregnant women. So it’s better to get a flu shot so that infection doesn’t spread from one person to another.
4. Get the Right Medicine – You can try any cold or flu remedy to get relief from cold, but it’s better to take medicine too. Consult with your healthcare provider to get the right medicine. You can also take over the counter medicines from your pharmacist. Make sure to read drug labels properly, and take your medicine as recommended by your doctor.
5. Drink hot tea – Sipping tea will not cure your common cold, but it will help keep you hydrate and offer calming relief to a scratchy throat. It will also ease your nasal congestion.
6. Use A Humidifier – Dry weather make cold symptoms worse, causing mucus to become extra thick. Thick mucus means difficulty in draining it. A home humidifier adds moisture to the air, resulting in the break up congestion and improve drainage.

If we’ve missed any other remedy to get relieved from cold symptoms, do let us know in the comment section below.