Best Ways To Get Yourself Back to Normal

Having a cold is undeniably one of the most frustrating sicknesses to come down with, especially when it hits out of nowhere at the worst time. Colds tend to happen when you are stressed, overworked, and aren’t sleeping enough. Not to mention an improper diet, either!

Luckily for you, there are several ways to get rid of a cold faster than ever before. Don’t let your cold hold you back from experiencing your life—tackle it head on today!

1. Rest and relaxation

One of the best ways to quickly get rid of a cold is to take it easy. Don’t force yourself back into action before you are ready! You will only make the cold last longer, and you won’t get better as soon as you want to.

Make sure you get lots of sleep. The chances are pretty high that you got this cold by overworking yourself, so take some time off of work if you can and just rest! Read a book, have some herbal tea, make some chicken soup, and relax. It’s pretty likely that you are losing a lot of fluids as well, so be sure to get plenty of liquids in your body.

2. Zinc is your best friend

Sure, chicken soup and tea are both great, but there’s something even better that’s proven to help you get rid of colds fast. The answer? Zinc, of course!

Research suggests that sucking on zinc products 24 hours after you see your first symptoms can actually cut the length of your cold in half, while also limiting how much your nose runs or how sore your throat is. How exactly does this work, you might ask? Basically, zinc makers it harder of the cold virus to attach itself to the lining in your nasal or throat passages, which then helps your body get rid of your cold virus. Talk about effective!

Be careful when choosing your zinc product, however—don’t just buy the first thing you see that says “zinc.” Find some zinc lozenges, which stay in your mouth longer than a pill or syrup will.

Don’t buy products with tartaric or added citric acid in them. These are usually only there to boost the flavour, but they actually make the zinc less effective. This isn’t about taste, after all, it’s about getting better quickly!

3. Try exercising

Hold on, didn’t we say that you should take it easy? As a matter of fact we did! Laying low is a great solution, but it’s not the only solution. Try some low-intensity workouts as well that can help you decrease the length of your cold, and also help clear your stuffiness and take the edge off of a powerful cold.

You shouldn’t be running a marathon here, of course. The same idea still applies that you should avoid overworking yourself. Try going for a casual walk, or do some light yoga. You might feel much better!

Don’t push yourself, of course. If whatever you are trying is not helping, then don’t continue. You shouldn’t workout at all if you have aches, an upset stomach, a fever, or anything else other than a stuffy-feeling head. If you do, your body is telling you to rest up!

4. Clear your nose carefully

Always be careful when you are clearing out your nasal passage. This is often where the cold virus likes to take up residence, so it’s one of the best places to target when you are working on quickly clearing up your cold.

Decongestant nasal sprays can bring fast relief for a blocked up nose in some cases, but you shouldn’t rely on these for long periods. Always follow the instructions and don’t use the product for longer than it tells you. In many cases, this might be under three days!

If you have tried several solutions and still remain sick, it might be time to go see your doctor. There could be something more serious going on!

5. Switch your diet

A poor diet may have landed you in this mess in the first place, but a balanced one can help you get out!

Make sure you are eating a low-fat, high-fiber diet that includes a lot of fresh fruit and vegetables. Your mom could tell you this one, but it’s true! You should be getting loads of these regardless of whether or not you have a cold.

6. Take some painkillers

If you are in a real rush to get rid of a cold faster than anything mentioned here, it might be time to bring some painkillers into the mix. Painkillers including aspirin and ibuprofen are some of the classic medication relief strategies. There are several different types of these painkillers, so make sure you choose one that is well-suited for your particular cold. Depending on your symptoms, you might choose one for a stuffy head, or a runny nose, for instance.

The painkiller itself is what is doing the most good for you, regardless of what form it is in. You might have a soluble tablet, a pill, a capsule, or some form of hot drink. Find what works best for you! Always make sure you check the box first. You don’t want any of the ingredients in the box to interfere with any other medications or health conditions you might have.

You might have some success with over the counter cold and cough medications as well. These can also help with your symptoms. Again, make sure you follow the instructions accordingly!

7. Add moisture into the air

Sometimes you need to change the environment you are in as well. A cool mist vaporizer or humidifier can add moisture to the air in your home. This can help get rid of congestion symptoms you might be experiencing.

Make sure you clean the water regularly—this might be on a daily basis. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for best results!

Getting rid of a cold faster than normal doesn’t have to be a difficult process. There is no real cure for the common cold, but there are several different solutions to make a cold shorter than it should be. The average person catches a cold every single cold season, so you aren’t in the minority by any means. With a little bit of preparation, you can get rid of your cold just like so many before you. Good luck, and get some rest!