How to Treat a Cold: Can Home Remedies Help?

Proven Cold Treatments

Rest so your body can fight the infection. While you may want fast relief, time is the only proven cure for a cold. Your body needs about a week to fight off the infection entirely, so make sure you get plenty of rest to support your immune system. Do your best to sleep for 7-8 hours each night. Also take naps throughout the day if you feel tired. If you exercise regularly, take a few days off while you’re sick. Instead, try lighter workouts like walking or stretching.

Drink plenty of fluids. Staying hydrated helps your body fight the infection, so drink 8-10 glasses of fluid each day. Water is best, but pure fruit juices or sugar-free seltzer will also work. Avoid things like soda or alcohol while you’re sick. These don’t hydrate you as well and can make you feel worse. Caffeine could also dry out your nose, so don’t have too many caffeinated drinks. If your urine is dark yellow, then you’re starting to get dehydrated. Drink some more to correct this.

Gargle with saltwater to treat your sore throat. Saltwater can kill bacteria and soothe your throat. Dissolve a spoonful of salt in a glass of warm water, then gargle with the water at the back of your throat before spitting it out. Continue until the glass is empty. This treatment doesn’t work right away, so repeat it 3 times per day while your symptoms last. Don’t use this treatment for children under 7 because they may swallow the water.

Take over-the-counter pain relievers, cough syrups, or antihistamines. While medications don’t make your cold go away faster, they can treat the symptoms and make you feel much better. Use pain relievers for headaches and body pains, cough syrup for your cough, and antihistamines for congestion. Do not give aspirin to children or teenagers recovering from a cold. In rare cases, this could cause Reye’s syndrome.

Stay home to avoid spreading the virus. While staying home is related to resting, it’s also important for containing the virus. If you can, take a day or two off from work or school so you can stay home and avoid infecting others. Also take extra steps like washing your hands often, sneezing into a tissue, covering your mouth when you cough, and keeping your distance from people to prevent others from getting sick.

Natural Remedies to Relieve Symptoms

Drink warm liquids for natural relief. Chicken soup for a cold isn’t just an old wives’ tale. Tea, soups, and broths are all good choices to soothe your throat, loosen mucous, and keep you hydrated while you recover. Try inhaling some of the steam off the hot liquids as well. This could moisten your nasal passages and loosen mucous.

Add honey to your drinks to soothe your throat. Honey is a natural anti-inflammatory that can relieve pain and swelling in your throat. Add a 1 teaspoon (4.9 ml) to your tea or a glass of water to soothe your throat.

Turn on a humidifier to prevent your nose and lips from drying out. Adding some moisture to the air keeps your nose and mouth hydrated, and also loosens mucous. Try running a humidifier until you feel better, especially if you live in a dry climate. Change the humidifier water each day so the air is clean.

Rinse your nasal passage with a neti pot or nasal spray. Flushing your nasal passages can remove mucous and clear sinus pressure. Use either decongestant nasal spray or a neti pot filled with saline solution. If you use a neti pot, lean over a sink with your head tilted to one side. Pour the saline into your top nostril and let it flow out of your bottom one. Never use tap water in a neti pot. Only use sterile saline solution.

Take a hot shower or bath to loosen your mucous. A hot shower won’t make your cold go away, but it’ll loosen your mucous and relieve your body aches until you recover. Try to inhale deeply while you’re in the shower or bath to moisten your nasal passages. If you’d like to try some relaxing aromatherapy, add a few drops of essential oil to your bath for a pleasant smell.

Stay away from smoke until you recover. Smoke, especially from cigarettes, irritates your nose and throat. If you or someone in your home smokes, try to stay away from it until you feel better. Smoking can lead to chronic inflammation in the nose and throat, so if you smoke, you might be much more susceptible to colds. It’s best to quit altogether.

Unverified Natural Treatments

Eat more garlic to boost immunity. Garlic is a traditional treatment for many illnesses, and there is some evidence that it can boost your immune system. Try mixing a few garlic cloves into your meals and see if it helps you feel better. In general, you can have 2-5 grams of fresh garlic each day without any side effects. An average clove is 4-7 grams, depending on the size. You could also try garlic powder or extract. If you take supplements, don’t have more than 1,000 mg per day.

Shorten your cold with vitamin C. Evidence is mixed, but it’s possible that vitamin C can help your body fight the cold faster. Try taking a multivitamin supplement or eating more foods rich in vitamin C as soon as your symptoms start to see if this works for you. Good sources of vitamin C are bell peppers, citrus fruit, berries, and leafy green vegetables.

Try zinc if your doctor approves. A boost of zinc can help shorten colds if taken within 24 hours of the symptoms starting. However, zinc supplements could cause side effects and interact with some medications, so ask your doctor if taking it is safe for you. The recommended zinc dosage is 8-11 mg daily. Unless you have a zinc deficiency, don’t take it when you aren’t sick. High zinc levels could cause undesirable side effects like constipation and nausea. It could also interact with antibiotics and arthritis medication.