Fight Off That Cold!
By Sara Butler
You know the signs. You feel that familiar tickle in your throat, that sudden achiness in your sinus. Yes, cold season is here and you are at risk of contracting that annoying but thankfully short-term illness again this year. If you feel a cold starting to come on, what can you do? It turns out if you think you’re getting a cold you can take a few measures to try to stave it off. Here’s what you can do!
Drink It Up
The best thing you can do if you feel a cold coming on is to drink plenty of water! As soon as you feel symptoms begin to develop, you should start sipping water whenever you can. This helps your body to work at its best to help fight off illness.
Add Salt
If your throat is feeling scratchy, it’s probably due to the fact that your throat is irritated and inflamed. Add a half-teaspoon of table salt to a glass of warm water and gargle. This clears out the mucus and any other irritants as well as reduces inflammation. This salty rinse also helps to flush out viruses and bacteria, which might just help a cold from taking hold.
Stay Sweet
Skip over the cough medicine and try some honey instead. Two tablespoons of some raw honey can help to keep your cough at bay and has the added benefit of bolstering your immune system if the honey is local. You can also mix the honey into some soothing tea if you don’t want to eat it straight.
Take a Shower
If you’re feeling congested, then a nice hot shower might just be the ticket to feeling better. The moist heat from the shower’s steam can help to clear out your nasal passages and soothe any achiness you might be feeling in your head and over your entire body.
Stay Clean
It’s really important to keep your nose clean, quite literally. Using saline nose spray to keep your nose moist and free from buildup is really important and should be done at the first signs of a cold.
Rest
You shouldn’t feel bad for calling into work if you’re sick and you have the time to spare. Your body is better able to fight off illness when you’re rested, so taking the time to rest up is a good idea. If staying home is not an option, then make sure you wash your hands frequently throughout the day so you don’t spread your germs around!