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Lifestyle and home remedies

By Mayo Clinic staff

You may not be able to cure your common cold, but you can make yourself as comfortable as possible. These tips may help:

  • Drink lots of fluids. Water, juice, clear broth or warm lemon water are all good choices. They help replace fluids lost during mucus production or fever. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can cause dehydration, and cigarette smoke, which can aggravate your symptoms.
  • Try chicken soup. Generations of parents have spooned chicken soup into their sick children's mouths. Now scientists have put chicken soup to the test, discovering that it does seem to help relieve cold and flu symptoms in two ways. First, it acts as an anti-inflammatory by inhibiting the movement of neutrophils — immune system cells that help the body's response to inflammation. Second, it temporarily speeds up the movement of mucus through the nose, helping relieve congestion and limiting the time viruses are in contact with the nasal lining.
  • Get some rest. If possible, stay home from work if you have a fever or a bad cough, or are drowsy after the medications. This will give you a chance to rest as well as reduce the chances that you'll infect others. Wear a mask when you have a cold if you live or work with someone with a chronic disease or compromised immune system.
  • Adjust your room's temperature and humidity. Keep your room warm, but not overheated. If the air is dry, a cool-mist humidifier or vaporizer can moisten the air and help ease congestion and coughing. Be sure to keep the humidifier clean to prevent the growth of bacteria and molds.
  • Soothe your throat. A saltwater gargle — 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon (1.2 milliliters to 2.5 milliliters) salt dissolved in an 8-ounce (237 milliliters) glass of warm water — can temporarily relieve a sore or scratchy throat.
  • Use saline nasal drops. To help relieve nasal congestion, try saline nasal drops. You can buy these drops over-the-counter, and they're effective, safe and nonirritating, even for children. In infants, experts recommend instilling several saline drops into one nostril, then gently suctioning that nostril with a bulb syringe (push the bulb in about 1/4 to 1/2 inch, or about 6 to 12 millimeters). Doing this before feeding your baby can improve your child's ability to nurse or take a bottle, and before bedtime it may improve sleep. Saline nasal sprays may be used in older children.
Alternative medicine Treatments and drugs
References
  1. Turner RB. The common cold. In: Mandell GL, et al. Mandell, Douglas, and Bennett's Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases. 76th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier; 2009. http://www.mdconsult.com/book/player/book.do?method=display&type=bookPage&decorator=header&eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-443-06839-3..00053-9&uniq=212417556&isbn=978-0-443-06839-3&sid=1032726390. Accessed Aug. 3, 2010.
  2. Friedman ND, et al. The common cold in adults: Diagnosis and clinical features. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Aug. 3, 2010.
  3. Pappas DE, et al. The common cold in children. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Aug. 3, 2010.
  4. Overview of common cold. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/getsmart/antibiotic-use/URI/colds.html. Accessed Aug. 3, 2010.
  5. Symptom relief. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/getsmart/antibiotic-use/symptom-relief.html. Accessed Aug. 3, 2010.
  6. Public health advisory: FDA recommends that over-the-counter (OTC) cough and cold products not be used for infants and children under 2 years of age. Food and Drug Administration. http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/PublicHealthAdvisories/ucm051137.html. Accessed Aug. 3, 2010.
  7. Friedman ND, et al. The common cold in adults: Treatment and prevention. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Aug. 3, 2010.
  8. Ross SM. An integrative approach to rhinosinusitis in children. Holistic Nursing Practice. 2009;23:302.
  9. Cough suppressant and pharmacologic protussive therapy: ACCP evidence-based clinical practice guidelines. Northbrook, Ill.: The American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP). http://www.guideline.gov/summary/summary.aspx?doc_id=8675&nbr=4840&ss=6&xl=999.
  10. Bukutu C, et al. Complementary, holistic, and integrative medicine: The common cold. Pediatrics in Review. 2008;29:e66.
  11. What to do in a medical emergency: Fever. American College of Emergency Physicians. http://www.emergencycareforyou.org/EmergencyManual/WhatToDoInMedicalEmergency/Default.aspx?id=242&terms=fever. Accessed Aug. 3, 2010.
  12. Hoecker JL (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Aug. 8, 2010.
  13. Bauer BA (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Aug. 13, 2010.
  14. Singh M, et al. Zinc for the common cold. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2011:CD001364.
DS00056 Feb. 22, 2011

© 1998-2013 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER). All rights reserved. A single copy of these materials may be reprinted for noncommercial personal use only. "Mayo," "Mayo Clinic," "MayoClinic.com," "EmbodyHealth," "Enhance your life," and the triple-shield Mayo Clinic logo are trademarks of Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.

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