Are You Making Your Cold Worse? (2024)

FAQs

Does being in the cold when you're sick make it worse? ›

Research suggests that these viruses may survive and reproduce more effectively at colder temperatures, making it easier for them to spread and infect more people. Cold weather may also reduce the immune response and make it harder for the body to fight off germs.

Avoid salty foods, alcohol, coffee and sugary drinks, which can be dehydrating. Ice chips are another simple way to stay hydrated and calm a scratchy throat.

DO: Stay warm. Sounds logical when you're sick, and there's a good reason behind this tip. Viruses like influenza, the coronavirus and RSV can cause a fever, Jone said. "Fever is a sign that the body is fighting these viruses, and patients will have chills related to the fever.

Cold symptoms will go away on their own over time and rest is one of the best ways to help your body heal, so in a sense, you can sleep off a cold. Sleep helps boost the immune system and can help you recover from a cold more quickly. But sometimes, it's tough to sleep when you have a cold.

Once you get over a cold, some antibodies against the virus stay in your body. If you get exposed to that virus again, your body will remember and make more antibodies to fight it off. In some cases, that quick response means you won't get sick again.

Good hydration helps clear congestion. When you're sick, make sure you get eight cups of water a day. A better hydrated body helps the immune system stop the cold symptoms.

Is it bad to lay in bed all day when sick? When you are sick, your body needs rest to recover and fight off the illness. Laying in bed can help conserve energy and promote healing.

Extra rest can help with recovery from illness, whether you have a cold, the flu, or another virus. Here's how sleep helps your immune system bounce back when you're sick. No matter the specific virus, nearly every sickness has one recommended treatment in common: lots of rest.

When you're ill, the effects of little to no sleep are magnified, and can make cold and flu symptoms like runny nose and dry cough feel worse. Giving your body as much rest as it needs is important to help your immune system fight off cold and flu infection.

Does blowing your nose help get rid of a cold faster? ›

Blowing your nose can help relieve some of your symptoms. It can make it easier to breathe and can make you feel less congested. However, it probably won't make your cold resolve any faster. Plus, there's evidence to suggest that blowing your nose can sometimes be harmful.

Lying down can make mucus build up in your throat, leading to coughing and restless nights. This doesn't mean you need to sleep sitting up, though. Simply stack your pillows to lift your head slightly. This can help minimize mucus accumulation in your throat.

Mild to moderate physical activity is usually OK if you have a common cold and no fever. Exercise may even help you feel better by opening your nasal passages and temporarily relieving nasal congestion.

But unless you've got other symptoms like aches or fever, get dressed and go to work! If you've been sick for a few days and you now cough up darker yellow mucus, it's still probably just a cold. But if it goes on this way for more than a week, it's a good idea to see your doctor.

Taking vitamin C every day to try to prevent colds won't protect most people from colds. It only slightly shortens the amount of time that they're ill. Starting to take vitamin C once you already have cold symptoms won't have any effect on your cold.

Cold temperatures can make the symptoms of conditions like Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis and myotonia worse. It can also increase your risk of falls. “Many of the body's functions rely on our muscles, nerves and blood vessels working properly,” says Shana Krstevska, M.D., a neurologist at Henry Ford Health.

Common sense tells us that when our body temperature rises, we should feel warmer, not colder. Getting chills is actually a step in the process that your immune system uses to fight off germs that are making you sick. Viruses and bacteria multiply poorly above 98.6 degrees, which is the average human body temperature.

Get Some Fresh Air

In fact, getting fresh air is good for you when you're feeling under the weather. When you're cooped up inside, you're sharing the same air with those around you. So every time someone coughs or sneezes inside, those infected droplets are still in the air.

Depending on the severity of the symptoms (and the outdoor activity), experts say going out in the cold with a cold is perfectly fine. In fact, in some cases, it's even beneficial. “In general, it's OK and safe for a baby, toddler or older kid to go outside when they have a cold,” says Dr.