How to Recover From a Cold Fast
Oh no! You’ve woken up and you feel terrible. You’re achy, your nose is stuffy, you’ve been sneezing… you seem to have caught a cold. Before you rub your nose raw with tissues, take a minute to read through this advice on how to get better fast, so you can get back to normal life with a renewed outlook.
How to Recognize a Cold
In this age of pandemics and superbugs, it might be hard to know if you just have a cold or something more. Watch for these symptoms — all iconic of the classic cold.
- Cough
- Muscle aches
- Fatigue
- Sneezing
- Sore throat
- Runny nose
- Stuffy nose
- Mild fever
Generally you’ll feel a cold in your upper chest and head, especially your sinuses. With other illnesses, you’ll often feel it throughout your entire body.
How Long Does it Take to Recover From a Cold?
Alright, so you’ve figured out the common cold is bugging you. So how long exactly will you be sick? Well, that changes from person to person based on how much you rest and your overall health. Usually you’ll be feeling better after a few days to a week, but sometimes the nastiness can hang on for a couple weeks. If it’s been longer than that, make sure you see your doctor for a check-up.
How to Recover From a Cold Fast
The sad truth about the common cold is that there’s no cure. This means you’re going to have to let it run its course and deal with the symptoms as they come. What that doesn’t mean, though, is that you can’t try to speed up the process a bit. You’ll want to focus not just on treating the symptoms, but also on helping your whole body recover. Try these tips to get better quicker.
Keep Hydrated
Liquids are one of the number-one defenses against a cold. If you stay hydrated, it’ll help loosen any lingering mucus, and also keep you from suffering the side effects of dehydration — which will only make you feel worse. Enjoy drinks like tea, sparkling water, juice, water with lemon, and broth. You’ll want to avoid alcohol, pop, and caffeine; they’ll just dehydrate you.
As you’re recovering from your cold, consider getting a Bounce Hydration IV Drip, like one from our
Mega Recovery Program, specifically created to help your body repair and recover from illness, refuel depleted vitamins and minerals and boost your energy levels getting you back on the road to feeling better.
Eat Healthy Foods
Have you heard the phrase “feed a cold, starve a fever?” Well, at least for the cold portion of the old adage, there’s some truth to it. Eating a healthy, balanced diet regularly helps stave off illness, but when you’re sick, some foods have more cold-fighting power than others. Try these; they’re all packed with vitamins and antioxidants to help you heal.
- Bell peppers
- Bananas
- Beets
- Blueberries
- Carrots
- Chili peppers
- Cranberries
- Garlic
- Honey
- Horseradish
- Mustard
- Onions
Try to stay away from foods that are overly salty; they’ll dehydrate you. Anything that increases inflammation is a no-go (you’re already inflamed enough!) so avoid greasy foods, fried foods, sugary foods, and generally anything unhealthy.
Take Supplements
Some studies point to evidence that supplements and vitamins can help you heal from a cold quicker. Try these — but make sure you check with your doctor first to ensure nothing interacts with any current medication.
- Vitamin C
- Zinc
- Echinacea
- Elderberry
- Vitamin D
- Probiotics
IV drips are a quick and effective way to get your vitamins. Check out our blog post on the
Pros and Cons of Vitamin IV Therapy to learn more. The one thing you definitely want to avoid for a cold? Antibiotics. They’re designed to treat bacterial infections. A cold is a virus.
Get Some Medicine
The “good” thing about the common cold is that it’s so common, we actually know how to treat it, and all that medication is available over the counter. If you want to relieve almost all your symptoms at once, try something like DayQuil and some cough drops. If you want to target specific symptoms, try individual medications — like Mucinex for congestion or acetaminophen for headaches. Keep in mind, though, taking these won’t necessarily shorten the duration of the cold itself; it’ll just make it easier for you to get up and move around.
Rest Up
Your body cannot heal if you don’t allow it to. For your body to heal, you need to rest. Stay in bed if you can, keep yourself tucked under a blanket, and get some sleep. Try your best to get a full night every night until you start to feel better.
Have Some Tea or Another Warm Liquid
There’s a reason tea and chicken broth are recommended for people who have colds. They’re warm, and they ease a sore throat. They can also help get the mucus flowing, which will relieve congestion. Plus, they’re just comforting things to have when you’re sick!
Gargle with Saltwater
If your throat is sore, gargling with saltwater can help calm down the pain and swelling for a period of time. Just mix about a half-teaspoon of salt into a glass of warm water. It’s going to taste disgusting, we won’t lie. But it’ll be worth it.
Take a Steam
Don’t worry if you don’t have an actual steam room in your home — you can create one. If you can stand for a shower or feel like a bath, use hot water to create enough steam in the bathroom. If you can’t stand up for too long (colds can sometimes make you dizzy), sit on the floor or on the toilet seat with the bathroom door closed, turn the water on high heat, and enjoy the steam. You can also do a facial steam: fill a large bowl with just boiled water, put your face over it, and cover your head and the bowl with a towel. The steam not only helps you relax, but it also moisturizes your nasal passageways — which have probably taken a beating since you caught this cold — and makes it easier for mucus to drain out. Using a humidifier could have the same effect, so turn one on if you’ve got one.
Blow Your Nose
When your nose is running, your body is basically trying to get rid of all the germs you’re carrying around inside that are causing the cold you’ve got. So don’t suck any of the phlegm back up into your nasal passages. You want it out, not back in. Blow your nose often, but not too hard — otherwise you could injure your eardrums. If you’ve been going through a lot of tissues, try the ones that have lotion in them. It’ll be easier on your chapped skin.
Use Some Menthol
Menthol salve is available at any standard pharmacy and works wonders to relieve congestion and open your nasal passages. Spread a little on the skin beneath your nose and above your upper lip for the best effect. You can also spread it on your chest to combat chest congestion, and even dab a little on pressure points if you have a mild fever. The cooling properties will help bring it down.
Elevate Your Head
Did you ever notice when you have a cold that your sinuses get a bit worse when you lay down? Try elevating your head at night. It’ll help clear your nasal passages and reduce congestion.
Our goal is to help you feel better. Hopefully these tips help you recover and bounce back quickly!
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