Do you know that 1 billion people suffer from the common cold every year?
A bad cold is more than just a stuffy nose. Getting infected with a cold can drastically affect your body’s ability to perform daily activities.
In today’s blog, you will gain an in-depth knowledge of the common cold. With a better understanding of the cold, you can treat your body correctly. Let’s get started!
What is a Cold?
When the mucous membrane present inside the nose, sinuses, and throat gets inflamed, it results in the cold.
Cold occurs when you catch one of the many cold viruses. These viruses are highly contagious and spread quickly via moisture droplets in the exhaled air or infected hands.
How Long Does a Cold Last?
According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), the average duration in which most adults recover is around 7-10 days.
In most cases, a cold is safe and doesn’t cause any significant complications.
However, respiratory disturbance, fatigue, and other severities of symptoms vary from patient to patient.
The Stages of the Common Cold
It’s sometimes possible to feel a cold arrive before experiencing the common symptoms, such as nasal discharge or headache.
In the beginning, you may feel fatigued, have chills, a feeling of heaviness in the head, and body aches.
Usually, the next day begins with sneezing, discharging from the nose, or even a stuffy nose with eyes that often cry.
The most unpleasant stage starts after the first two days when the nose experiences clogging (only one nostril or both). We then notice the development of thick mucus.
It’s important to note that the runny nose of a yellow or greenish color does not necessarily mean its bacterial origin is cold.
It’s only from the 3rd or 4th day that the primary symptoms subside. After a few days, your cold starts to get away on its own.
You might notice some changes like – a change in the color of mucus, decreased mucus thickness, and the nose finally frees itself and starts breathing like usual.
What are the Symptoms of a Cold?
A runny and clogged nose and sneezing are the most unpleasant and common symptoms of a viral cold (commonly known as a brain cold).
The liquid that flows is first clear. It becomes purulent and thicker after some days. Other frequent symptoms are a burning sensation in the nose, a loss of smell and taste, or even fever.
What Causes Colds?
The nasal cavity and sinuses are coated with mucosa that continuously secretes fluid. This liquid humidifies the inhaled air, traps dust, and helps fight infectious agents.
When this mucosa is irritated, it swells, and its secretion increases, leading to a runny nose.
This further results in the common cold (rhinitis or coryza). The viruses that cause it are transmitted from one person to another, most often through contaminated hands or objects.
After contamination, the common cold is more easily triggered depending on various factors such as weakened immune defenses (period of stress or fatigue) or environmental conditions (cold, humidity, tobacco smoke).
Practices to Cure a Cold Naturally?
When we talk about colds, we most often refer to rhinitis of viral origin. This winter disease causes a runny nose, stuffy nose, cough, sometimes fever, and even headache.
To cure your cold quickly, you can take antibiotic treatments.
On the other hand, the patient must treat his symptoms in case of rhinitis to avoid bacterial complications such as otitis or sinusitis. Here are the reflexes to treat your cold effectively and reduce discomfort.
- Blow your nose regularly
- Clean your nasal cavity with water sprays or saline
- Take an analgesic (paracetamol)
- Decongestant vasoconstrictors can also help in case of a stuffy nose
- Take enough rest
How to Cure a Severe Cold with Grandmother’s Remedies?
To cure a cold naturally, there are various effective grandmother remedies. However, they are not miracle cures. You cannot cure a cold in 24 hours, but these methods can help reduce your pain and soothe your sore throat or cough.
- Fumigations based on eucalyptus essential oil help to unclog the nose
- Herbal teas with thyme, peppermint, or cinnamon also provide relief
- Honey in herbal teas is also a known remedy to cure colds and soften the throat
- Sleep in a humid environment
Help tip – You can also try the onion tea remedy to cure a cold. Onion soups remain delicious and warm up in winter. If you are unaware of how to cook onion recipes, tea, and soup, for example, you can always consider using Google or YouTube. There’s plenty of data available online.
Ways to Treat Cold Fast
If you are thinking how to cure a cold in two days, know that you will not be able to cure it fully for at least a week.
Besides, here are some tips to help you understand how to cut a cold quickly and which treatment is most effective in reducing your symptoms.
- Hydrate to avoid headaches and fatigue
- Do not go out to avoid worsening your symptoms
- Ventilate your home
- Avoid dry environments
- Don’t smoke
- Avoid alcohol
With these treatments, we are sure that you can quickly cure your cold within a short course of time. Just make sure to be consistent with the treatments, and you will get relief from the cold better than you can imagine.
Final Words
Cold can become an annoying condition in no time. If you don’t want to spend even two days with a cold, we are sure this blog will help you a lot.
The treatments we have shared with you today are effective and, therefore, worth trying. At last, we hope you stay healthy and fit.
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