A cold is a respiratory system infection. It basically affects the nose, ears, and the throat. There are many types of viruses that can cause colds. Because of the fact that they are numerous, the creation of a vaccination that can prevent it altogether is quite impossible.
But don’t be gloomy, our body has its own way of coping with colds and is in fact in possession of the best cure which is our immune system which defends our body from illnesses.
How Do Colds Spread?
When we sneeze or cough, some droplets of mucus from inside our nose can float in the air and the breathing in of these droplets will make start the spread of colds. You can also get colds when you touch your eyes or nose after touching something with the cold virus as well. Hence, you can get it from doors in public places and from your school desk. It is therefore vital that you keep to the habit of regularly washing your hands or disinfecting your hands to avoid transfer of virus and bacteria.
What are the symptoms of colds? From your initial contact with a colds virus, it will take two to three days before symptoms begin to show. The telling signs of oncoming colds are; low fever at about 37.2 to 37.8 Celsius, itchiness and soreness of the throat, coughing, body chills, tiredness, stuffiness of the nose and breathing difficulties and feeling not hungry.
Ways to Cure and Prevent Colds
Since it is usually more advisable to wait for colds to go away than to ingest any medication here are some tips to help you get through it with more ease.
- Try to ingest more hot drinks, since these will soothe your throat and will help in clearing the mucus.
- Go for a steamy shower; this can help in relieving the stuffiness of the nose and soothe its sense of irritation.
- You can also run a humidifier to relieve your itchy and irritating throat and your watery eyes. The humidifier will make the air in the room moist and will loosen the mucus.
- Apart from these, make sure that you keep a healthy and balanced diet. Get as much vitamins and minerals as you can.
- Also, be sure to get plenty of sleep and rest.
- Remember also that by blowing your nose you can help ease your colds and help you get rid of that mucus.
- Finally, maintain a relaxed state of mind. Don’t stress yourself out; stress will only contribute to the weakening of your system and will, therefore, deter your recuperation.
Colds may be stubborn and irritating. Make sure that you get rid of it as soon as you feel the symptoms. Otherwise, you will have to endure a long day of discomfort and uneasiness.