A cold, any time of year, is a miserable affair. By early-March, most folks in the Northern Hemisphere have had at least one, if not a few. I’ve written before about the tough choice to go to work or stay home. I do believe that when it is the sniffles, even with a mild cough, it is tolerable in the office. There are things you can do, when you are affected, when your family member is ill, or when your whole office has the sniffles, to keep yourself from getting quite so ill. Cardiff University has an entire Centre devoted to the Common Cold, named (shockingly!) Common Cold Centre. They’ve done some funny experiments to prove and disprove old wives tales. Getting to the meat of their site can be tough, so here are some highlights:
1. Washing your hands is not a joke.
The common cold viruses are not spread by contact such as kissing but appear to be spread by large particles expelled at close range by coughs and sneezes, and by contaminated fingers that pass the virus to the nose and eye. Your fingers can easily become contaminated with viruses by touching door handles etc. in public places. You may then touch your nose or eye and infect yourself.
And the counterpart:
You are most infective when you have the early symptoms of sneezing, runny nose and cough.
So double up the tissues and wash your hands until they are chapped. Also, be polite and wipe down your office regularly. It’s both good office hygiene and makes it less likely that a virus will spread from your desk to someone else’s desk.
2. Wear a scarf
Or a balaclava, or some other nose covering. (The crowded room may not be the only cause.)
Every time we breathe in we cool the nasal lining and weaken our local defences against infection. If this theory is correct then covering our nose with a scarf in cold weather could help prevent colds.
3. Stay calm, get sleep
Most viral infections in man produce no disease at all, they are ’subclinical’ (i.e. no symptoms), despite extensive viral replication… Stress appears to be associated with the suppression of general resistance to infection that leaves the person susceptible to infection.
4. If you get sick, rest up and hang in there.
Symptoms in patients presenting with common cold usually last for around seven days although some cold symptoms may persist for up to 14 days in one quarter of patients.
5. Drink hot liquids, eat chili.
Any form of hot drink will provide relief from the symptoms of sore throat and cough. The hot fluid has a demulcent and soothing action and tasty drinks containing slightly bitter flavours such as lemon and citric acid are particularly beneficial. Spicy foods and hot soups are also beneficial as they promote airway secretions which have a calmative action on an inflamed throat.
6. Otherwise, treatment varies
They do recommend nasal sprays/menthol to help provide a better channel for breathing at night; paracetemol (acetominophen) or ibuprofen for pain; and are cautiously optimistic about garlic, zinc, and echinacia as personal treatment. Because you are only treating symptoms, I think treatment is very dependent on the individual.
7. Yes, Summer Colds may be worse.
Even if you make it through the Winter without ever getting the sniffles, yes, that vicious Summer cold may hit you. They offer up a reason as to why it may be worse:
Those who suffer from hayfever may find that a summer cold is far more bothersome than the winter variety as the nose is already sensitised by the allergic response to pollen and this may exaggerate the response to viral infection and cause more severe symptoms which persist longer than a winter cold.
