The best tips for getting over your cold are to drink plenty of fluids and get plenty of rest. Water, juice, clear broth, and warm water with lemon and honey can really help loosen congestion. Tea is fine, but the decaffeinated kinds are best.
Prolongs sickness
Drinking alcohol can weaken your body's ability to fight off infection. A weakened immune system can make your body more susceptible to getting sick and slow down recovery. Another way that drinking alcohol while sick can prolong your recovery is by interrupting your sleep.
Try clear fluids such as water, broth or sports drinks. Use a squeeze bottle or a straw if you're too weak to drink from a cup. Try sucking on ice chips or ice pops.
Gatorade, because of its electrolyte content, helps to restore the lost electrolytes and keep a person hydrated, during intense activity. It can also replace electrolytes, during times of illness, such as stomach viruses.
Orange juice is a yummy way to hydrate, but there's conflicting research on whether it can help your cold. The acid can irritate a sore or inflamed throat. Many store-bought orange juices are also high in sugar, which is not recommended for treating cold symptoms.
Although not super exciting, very plain and bland foods can help ease symptoms. Try pasta, dry cereals, oatmeal, bread and crackers. But bland doesn't mean you can't add protein or veggies into the mix if you're feeling up for it! Try eating rice and baked chicken breast or cheese and crackers.
Research shows that milk is one of the best beverages for hydration, even better than water or sports drinks. Researchers credit milk's natural electrolytes, carbohydrates, and protein for its effectiveness.
“Carbonated drinks, flat or otherwise, including cola, provide inadequate fluid and electrolyte replacement and cannot be recommended,” they said. Flat soda, a popular remedy for upset stomach, may do more harm than good.
Water is your best bet for everyday hydration, since it is free of sugar, calories, and caffeine. All of your daily food and beverages contribute to your daily fluid needs.
Sorry, moms: Orange juice (and vitamin C tablets) won't chase the cold away. Although the orange juice strategy is a myth, it's based in some logic. One of vitamin C's main functions is to support the immune system. It is an antioxidant, so it boosts immune function, according to the National Institutes of Health.
It's a myth!
Unfortunately, this myth is quite persistent! Because oranges are rich in vitamin C, we believe – falsely – that eating them can help cure a cold. Let us be clear: after the onset of cold symptoms, eating oranges or drinking orange juice is not an effective treatment.
Too much alcohol can leave you dehydrated and worsen cold symptoms such as congestion. It can also suppress your immune system and — potentially — interact with cold medications you're taking. Until you're feeling better, it's best to lay off the booze.
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.
As far as what to avoid when you're sick, steer clear of foods that may fuel inflammation or stress your immune system. Those foods include refined sugar, processed foods (especially those with artificial ingredients), conventional dairy and meat, caffeine, and alcohol.
It is usually best to avoid too many sugary, caffeinated and alcoholic beverages when you're sick, though, experts say. They can make you urinate more, causing more fluid loss.
Drink water, tea (herbal or decaf), broth, soup, and non-caffeinated sports drinks e.g. Gatorade. Hot tea with lemon and honey can help. Gargle with warm salt-water. Dissolve 1 teaspoon of regular table salt in 8 ounces (240 ml) of warm water, gargle for a few seconds, spit it out, then repeat a few times.
Hot or cold, it keeps you hydrated and loosens up stuffiness and congestion. Lemon is also high in vitamin C, which may make a cold slightly shorter if you get it regularly.
Water. While it likely comes as no surprise, drinking water is most often the best and cheapest way to stay hydrated and rehydrate. Unlike many other beverages, water contains no added sugars or calories, making it ideal to drink throughout the day or specifically when you need to rehydrate, such as after a workout.
Juice and soda are not only less hydrating, but offer extra sugars and calories that won't fill us up as much as solid foods, explained Majumdar. If the choice is between soda and water for hydration, go with water every time.
In fact, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends an oral rehydration solution — a fancy term for a mixture of sodium, potassium, and glucose — as the best way to return to normal. When electrolytes and glucose are perfectly balanced, you can rehydrate up to three times as fast as with plain water.
In adults and older children, they usually last about 7 to 10 days, but can last longer. A cough in particular can last for two or three weeks. Colds tend to last longer in younger children who are under five, typically lasting around 10 to 14 days.
Fresh pomegranate juice is full of antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. It contains flavonoid antioxidants, which are helpful to combat viruses and decrease the length of a cold by as much as 40%. You can drink fresh pomegranate juice daily or you can add them in smoothies or herbal tea.