Most colds go away on their own within seven to 10 days and don't turn into anything more serious. Common cold treatment includes over-the-counter (OTC) medications to help reduce your symptoms and keep you comfortable until you recover.
The stages of a cold include the incubation period, appearance of symptoms, remission, and recovery.
Some symptoms, especially runny or stuffy nose and cough, can last for up to 10 to 14 days. Those symptoms should improve over time.
When is the worst day of a cold? The worst day of the common cold is often day two or three. That's when symptoms peak, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. If your sore throat is painful, lozenges and over-the-counter pain relievers, like acetaminophen and ibuprofen, can make you feel better.
Day 3: Congestion worsens, sinus and ear pressure become very uncomfortable. It may be difficult to sleep. Day 4: Mucus may turn yellow or green (this is normal). Sore throat improves, but coughing begins.
Days 3 to 5: Cough and More Nasal Congestion
This usually is due to a spike in the number of white blood cells your immune system has dispatched to overcome the virus, according to the Mayo Clinic. As you get better over the next few days, the discharge tends to clear up.
Cold and flu symptoms such as a blocked nose or cough usually subside after 7-10 days and the absence of these things is quite an obvious indication that you are on the mend.
Nose blowing can relieve some sinus pressure and provide comfort, but it cannot clear the bacterial or viral infection of the sinuses. The infections require medical attention.
You're generally contagious with a cold 1-2 days before your symptoms start, and you could be contagious as long as your symptoms are present—in rare cases, up to 2 weeks. The contagious period for the flu can last as long as 5-7 days from when you first felt sick.
Research shows that the immune system follows a circadian rhythm and that the cells involved in healing and inflammation tend to rev up in the evening. Some evidence suggests that more white blood cells (WBCs) are sent to your tissues to fight off infection during the night compared to the day.
Stage 3 of cold lasts from the seventh day of your illness until your symptoms go away. You may feel back to normal after the seventh day, but some cold symptoms may last as long as three weeks.
Vitamin C does not prevent colds and only slightly reduces their length and severity. A 2013 review of scientific literature found that taking vitamin C regularly did not reduce the likelihood of getting a cold but was linked to small improvements in cold symptoms.
As far as what to avoid when you're sick, steer clear of foods that may fuel inflammation or stress your immune system. Those foods include refined sugar, processed foods (especially those with artificial ingredients), conventional dairy and meat, caffeine, and alcohol.
If you have a cold, you should follow these tips to help prevent spreading it to other people: Stay at home while you are sick and keep children out of school or daycare while they are sick. Avoid close contact with others, such as hugging, kissing, or shaking hands. Move away from people before coughing or sneezing.
Symptoms usually peak within the first few days before gradually improving. If a person has cold symptoms for longer than 10 days, with no improvement, they should see their doctor. A person should also see their doctor for any severe or unusual symptoms.
The usual recovery period for a cold lasts seven days.3 Cold symptoms may linger for up to two weeks but ought to improve during that time.2 While two weeks may seem like a long period, the cold is usually worst at the start.
Most colds go away in a few days. Some things you can do to take care of yourself with a cold include: Get plenty of rest and drink fluids. Over-the-counter (OTC) cold and cough medicines may help ease symptoms in adults and older children.
Reinfection Depends on the Virus Strain
But there's good news. It's actually highly unlikely to catch the same cold twice. Colds are caused by viruses, and when your immune system fights one infection off, it builds antibodies to it.
But unless you've got other symptoms like aches or fever, get dressed and go to work! If you've been sick for a few days and you now cough up darker yellow mucus, it's still probably just a cold. But if it goes on this way for more than a week, it's a good idea to see your doctor.
But see your health care provider if you have: Symptoms that get worse or do not get better. Fever greater than 101.3 degrees Fahrenheit (38.5 degrees Celsius) that lasts more than three days. Fever returning after a fever-free period.
In general, healthy people usually get over a cold in 7 to 10 days. Flu symptoms, including fever, should go away after about 5 days, but you may still have a cough and feel weak a few days longer. All your symptoms should be gone within 1 to 2 weeks.
Flu-like symptoms: fever, head and body aches, fatigue. Upper respiratory symptoms: sore throat, cough, sneezing. Digestive symptoms: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea. Skin conditions: rashes, sores, blisters, warts.