Customer question:
What helps against a cold? Anonymous customer's question
Pharmacist's answer:
Drink plenty of fluids
Drink a lot of liquid; this way, you can dilute the mucus and drain it more easily from the area of the nose and sinuses. In addition, the liquid helps to keep the mucous membranes lubricated, which means you can help eliminate the sensation of a dry nose.
Drink hot drinks
Hot drinks soothe and make your body comfortable when you have a cold. Medicinal hot drinks relieve cough and sore throat symptoms by soothing the inflamed membranes surrounding the nose and throat. To relieve cold symptoms, brew homemade ginger tea and add honey.
Make sure you sleep
Sleep is essential for rest and healing of the body. When you sleep, your body produces proteins called cytokines, essential for fighting infection and inflammation. So do your best to adjust your sleep schedule to get extra rest to help your body fight off cold viruses.
Soothe a sore throat.
Gagging salt water can temporarily relieve a sore or scratchy throat. You can also try ice cubes, sore throat sprays, tablets, or hard candies. However, be careful when giving lozenges or candies to children because they can choke on them.
Make sure to humidify the air.
Use a cool-mist humidifier or vaporizer in your bedroom to add moisture to the air while you sleep. Dry air can further irritate the nose and throat. You can also treat yourself to a hot shower or bath, where the steam will moisturize the mucous membrane and help eliminate too-dry mucus.
Interesting reading: Cold symptoms