Your alarm buzzes as you drag yourself out of bed to get ready for the long day of classes ahead of you. You notice that you start to sniffle throughout the day, but dismiss it as allergies. By dinnertime, you are exhausted, have a stuffy nose, and feel all together horrible. It's time to face the facts and accept that you have a full blown cold.
Being a student is demanding, and as much as we all would love to take multiple days off until we feel better, it's usually not an option. Unfortunately, there is no simple cure to the common cold, but there are some steps you can take to help one go away faster.
1. Sleep More
It seems like common sense, but one simple tip to helping get over a cold quickly is to get a good night's sleep. Sleeping helps keep your immune system strong and therefore will help it fight your cold. Not sleeping enough is taxing on your body and will only make you weaker. Sleeping with an extra pillow under your head is also a good idea as well because keeping your head propped up will help drain your nasal passages.
2. Help Relieve Sinus Pressure
Hot liquids such as herbal tea can help to relieve sinus pressure and congestion as well as soothe your throat and keep you hydrated. Taking a hot shower or bath can also help with congestion by helping to prevent your nasal passages from getting too dry. Another common remedy is chicken soup.
3. Other Natural Remedies
Raw honey can help to soothe a sore throat and boosts the immune system. It can be eaten by the spoonful, or added to herbal teas as a sweetener. Increasing vitamin C intake is also very helpful to the immune system. You can add vitamin C to your diet by drinking orange juice and eating fruits such as kiwis and strawberries. Vitamin C supplements are sold in most drug stores. Zinc is effective at helping cure a cold as well. It helps prevent the cold virus from reproducing. Zinc supplements are sold in drug stores in tablet, lozenge, and liquid form.
Although a common cold is mild compared to other sicknesses, it can be a nuisance. When trying to cure a cold, taking some of these simple steps will help you start feeling back to normal in no time.
