Getting Sniffly? 5 Ways to Help Fight Off a Cold

It’s seemingly a normal day when you notice a sniffle and a scratchy throat, until the realization hits … you’re coming down with a dreaded common cold. So common, in fact, that most adults average two to three colds per year, with each bout of sickness lasting around a week or so. Talk about a buzzkill.

You can thank a virus for your lovely bout of sinus congestion — most likely, a rhinovirus, which is the most common cause of the common cold, in part because it can elude your immune response by circulating multiple variants at once. While the symptoms are often mild, they’re still no fun. 

So, are there ways to shorten that virus’s stay — or prevent it from moving into your body in the first place? Here’s what to know.  

Can you actually do anything to help a cold? 

Because colds are viral infections, not bacterial, antibiotics and steroids won’t help — in fact, they might make you feel worse.

You probably already have your go-to strategies to help you fight off a cold: Maybe it’s a long-used home remedy passed down in your family that your mom swore would boost your immune system, or maybe it’s something you find on the shelves of your local pharmacy.

Before you start stockpiling cough syrup like it’s your favorite flavor of LaCroix, here are a variety of simple ways to try to support your immune system and help you feel better. You can choose what works for you (and ditch what doesn’t).

Take your supplements

At the first indication that she’s getting sick — for example, a body ache or a scratchy throat — Anne-Marie Gloster, MPH, PhD, a professor in the nutritional sciences program at the University of Washington School of Public Health, opts for zinc as an initial line of defense. Gloster takes 50 milligrams of zinc with food to try to reduce the severity of her oncoming illness.

Vitamin C has been found to reduce cold symptoms, so making sure you’re getting enough in your diet (such as eating more oranges or strawberries) or with a supplement may help with symptoms if you get a cold.

While the evidence is limited for how effective these kinds of supplements are at helping colds, as long as you take the recommended amount, there is very little risk in trying them. The key is to take vitamin C regularly as a preventive measure — not just when you’ve come down with a cold. 

Raid your pantry 

Some everyday food items can also help you show that unpleasant illness who’s boss.

Gloster swears by raw garlic as another way to recover more quickly from being sick. To tackle a cold, she once took zinc and ate raw garlic as soon as she felt under the weather. The result? Gloster says she was much better as soon as four days later.

Other options to try? Honey and lemon can help soothe a sore throat (try adding them to your favorite tea), and ginger has anti-inflammatory properties. Sounds like a recipe for relief.

On that note, warm broths or beverages in general are a great way to soothe a sore throat and keep you hydrated when your body needs it the most. That’s right — chicken noodle soup isn’t only good for the soul, it’s good for your body, too.

Although there is not much scientific evidence, chicken soup has been said to have anti-inflammatory effects that can ease symptoms like coughing and congestion in your throat and airways. Some studies have found that soup may reduce symptoms and inflammation.

More research still needs to be done, but at the very least, chicken soup is a nutrient-dense food that may be easier to stomach when you’re feeling less-than-stellar.

Exercise (but not too much)

Exercise won’t reduce the severity or duration of your cold, but it can help your immune system work better, and in turn help your body respond to viruses more quickly and optimally. Don’t go too hard, though — it’s important to let your body recover after an intense exercise or do an easier workout if you’re feeling icky.

Plus, if you get your exercise in today, that means you get to sleep in tomorrow, right? The most important thing to remember here is to listen to your body. If you think you have a mild head cold, it’s probably OK to do some light exercise. But if you’re feeling really bad, opt out of your workout until you’re feeling better.

Get some rest

A lack of sleep can result in poorer immune function and make you more susceptible to catching a cold. Think about it: If you carve out enough time to catch some z’s, your body has the chance to use its natural defenses to fight against any budding colds. But if you’re not sleeping well, your immune system isn’t operating at its best, meaning you might get sick. 

And if you already are sick, getting enough rest is essential to helping your body fight off the virus. So, if you ever need a reason to drop everything and take a nap, this is it.

Sleeping and getting plenty of rest when you’re already sick gives your body time and energy to fight the virus or infection. 

Check your stress levels

When you start feeling under the weather, your daily tasks can pile up, you can fall behind on work and you might not have the energy to take care of, well, yourself. In response, you might feel (understandably) stressed.

Here’s the thing: Stress can be really hard on the body. So, in addition to letting yourself get some much-needed rest, also practice mindfulness and check in on your mental health to give your body the best chance at recovering.

Keep what works for you

While some people swear by these remedies and believe they prevent them from feeling like zombies when sick, keep in mind that not everything will pay off for every person.

“We’re all individuals, and what works for me may not work for somebody else,” Gloster says.  

One scientifically proven way to keep yourself healthy that’s a no-brainer? Stay up to date on your vaccines.

Keeping up with your vaccines won’t prevent you from catching the common cold, but it does prevent you from catching other types of viruses and infections, like COVID-19, RSV or the flu. They’re an effective way to keep you safe from preventable diseases (and to avoid catching two viruses at the same time, which is, unfortunately, very possible). 

And if chowing down on cloves of garlic just doesn’t do it for you and your symptoms, you can always opt for tried-and-true medications.

Iman Majd, MD, the director of the Osher Center for Integrative Health in the Department of Family Medicine at the UW School of Medicine, says that OTC medications can help control your symptoms and reduce their intensity, but that they won’t get rid of the cold or infection itself.

Some OTC meds to try?  

• Decongestants can help you breathe better by reducing the swelling in your sinuses.  
• Antihistamines can help when you’re sneezy and have itchy, watery eyes.  
• Ibuprofen or acetaminophen can help with those miserable body aches.  

Still, taking a slow walk around the block and downing honey is worth a shot if it means spending fewer nights sounding like a freight train, right? 

This article was originally published on Oct. 15, 2018. It has been reviewed and updated with new info. Ari Cofer contributed to this article. This article has been updated to reflect that UW Neighborhood Clinics is now UW Medicine Primary Care.