Cold season is almost here and sometimes no matter what you do to avoid it, you always end up sick. Thankfully, there are several tried-and-true home remedies you can use to help ease the discomfort and pain from cold symptoms and speed up your recovery. Here are 10 home remedies to try this cold season:
* Drink your fluids
Water, juice, clear broth and warm lemon water with honey are suitable liquids for cold sufferers. These types of drinks will help loosen congestion and prevent dehydration that occurs during mucus production or fever. It is best to avoid alcohol, coffee and caffeinated sodas and tea that could worsen dehydration and cause negative side effects.
* Eat soup
When you’re as sick as a dog, nothing seems to taste better than a bowl full of steaming soup. Whether it’s chicken noodle, tomato or French onion, soups work wonders for cold sufferers.Soup, specifically chicken soup, helps relieve cold symptoms by inhibiting the movement of neutrophils, producing an anti-inflammatory response, as well as temporarily speeding up the movement of mucous through the nasal passages to relieve congestion.
* Sleep it off
Rest is the best medicine for getting over a cold. If you can, stay home from school or work and sleep as much as possible. This will help speed up your recovery by improving your immune system, as well as prevent the spread of infection to others.
* Use a humidifier or vaporizer
Relieve the pain and discomfort of a stuffy nose and sore throat by using a humidifier or vaporizer in your home. Cool-mist humidifiers add moisture to the air, which helps ease congestion, coughing and irritated mucous membranes. The added moisture may also cause unwanted mold, bacteria and fungi growth in the humidifier, so be sure to clean the unit daily.
* Gargle salt water
Soothe a sore, irritated throat with a basic saltwater gargle, consisting of 1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt mixed in 8 ounces of warm water, gargle and repeat as necessary.
* Eat garlic
Garlic has been known to have many health benefits, including the ability to reduce the severity of upper respiratory tract infections. In order to achieve the maximum health benefits from garlic, you’ll want to crush the garlic at room temperature and let it sit for about 15 minutes before eating. This is thought to trigger an enzyme reaction that boosts garlic’s benefits.
* Use saline nasal drops
Saline nasal drops and sprays are used to treat stuffiness and congestion caused by the common cold. Nasal drops and sprays are beneficial for moistening the nasal passages and soothing irritated sinuses. A neti pot will give similar results, by using saline and a spout device to flush the nasal cavities with the flow of gravity.
* Use a salve under your nose
To soothe a dry, irritated nose and relieve nasal congestion, try using a dab of menthol salve underneath your nose during a cold. Menthol’s cooling and numbing effect feels great on a feverish body, so you can rub it on your temples, chest and forehead for relief you can feel.
* Take your vitamin C
Even after you’ve caught a cold, you should keep taking vitamin C to shorten the duration of your cold. Vitamin C acts as a natural antihistamine and may reduce the severity of other cold symptoms. Vitamin C may be ingested through tablets, powders, liquids and food.
* Take a steamy shower
A steamy shower will help cold sufferers relieve their nasal congestion and soothe achiness. Just getting up and bathing will make you feel a lot better after lying in bed all day. If you are dizzy, feeling weak or running a fever, you may want to avoid taking a steamy shower or try sitting in a chair while running the water.
