/ENT > NOSE, ENT > PEDIATRIC ENT, Sinusitis

Getting through the common cold

Table of Contents

You may not be able to cure your Common Cold, but you can make yourself as comfortable as possible.

These tips may help you during the Common Cold:

Drink lots of fluids. Water, juice, clear broth or warm lemon water are all good choices. They help replace fluids lost during mucus production or fever. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can cause dehydration, and cigarette smoke, which can aggravate your symptoms.

Try chicken soup. Generations of parents have spooned chicken soup into their sick children’s mouths. Now scientists have put chicken soup to the test, discovering that it does seem to help relieve cold and flu symptoms in two ways. First, it acts as an anti-inflammatory by inhibiting the movement of neutrophils — immune system cells that help the body’s response to inflammation. Second, it temporarily speeds up the movement of mucus through the nose, helping relieve congestion and limiting the time viruses are in contact with the nasal lining.

Get some rest. If possible, stay home from work if you have a fever or a bad cough, or are drowsy after the medications. This will give you a chance to rest as well as reduce the chances that you’ll infect others.

Wear a mask when you have a cold if you live or work with someone with a chronic disease or compromised immune system.

Adjust your room’s temperature and humidity. Keep your room warm, but not overheated. If the air is dry, a cool-mist humidifier or vaporizer can moisten the air and help ease congestion and coughing. Be sure to keep the humidifier clean to prevent the growth of bacteria and molds.

Furthermore you may try to:

Soothe your throat. A saltwater gargle — 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon (1.2 milliliters to 2.5 milliliters) salt dissolved in an 8-ounce (237 milliliters) glass of warm water — can temporarily relieve a sore or scratchy throat.

Common cold: Tips to get better quickly

Use saline nasal drops. To help relieve nasal congestion, try saline nasal drops, they’re effective, safe and non-irritating, even for children. In infants, experts recommend instilling several saline drops into one nostril, then gently suctioning that nostril with a bulb syringe. Doing this before feeding your baby can improve your child’s ability to nurse or take a bottle, and before bedtime it may improve sleep. Saline nasal sprays may be used in older children.

Book an appointment

Get directions