If you’re congested or have a cough, Dr. Johnson recommends trying a nasal saline rinse or running a cool mist humidifier while you sleep. As for meds, she suggests looking for products that contain guaifenesin, which can thin your mucus and help with chest cold symptoms (e.g. Mucinex). Antihistamines (yep, like the ones you take for seasonal allergies) can also help dry out a runny nose, especially early on in a cold.
Pseudoephedrine, another common ingredient in cold medicines, can also help with congestion, but it can make some people feel nervous or jumpy, and it can also be risky for people with high blood pressure or irregular heart rhythms. Nasal sprays containing phenylephrine are also a good way to manage congestion—but Dr. Johnson advises against using them for more than a few days to avoid becoming dependent on them.
If you have aches, sore throat, or a fever, try taking an over-the-counter non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication (ibuprofen, aspirin, or naproxen) or a pain reliever (acetaminophen). “If you have sinus congestion, which involves sinus inflammation, then you want to aim for the anti-inflammatories,” says Dr. Johnson.
Typically, colds get better on their own over a few days or a week, so try to stay hydrated and rest—and stay away from other people as much as you can to avoid spreading your germs.
How to treat allergies
The best way to improve allergies is by avoiding the allergy trigger, but that’s not always possible or realistic. Dr. Reigh recommends starting with a nasal steroid, such as fluticasone or triamcinolone, to relieve nasal and eye symptoms. “You can do two sprays in each nostril every day, and it works best when you use it daily,” she says. While nose sprays can help eye symptoms in some people, if your eyes still feel itchy or watery, you can also add antihistamine eye drops to your allergy treatment regimen.
Still itchy and congested? Oral antihistamine medications (e.g. diphenhydramine, chlorpheniramine, and loratadine) can help tame the allergic response in your body and reduce your symptoms. For allergy symptoms that don’t go away with over-the-counter treatments, your doctor may refer you to an allergist for testing or stronger prescription medications. Depending on your allergies, you may also be a candidate for allergy shots that “train your immune system to ignore your allergies,” says Dr. Reigh.
How to avoid getting (and spreading) a cold
As amazing as it would be to bypass all the annoying symptoms that come with seasonal allergies, they often can’t be prevented and require management. But for the common cold, and other respiratory viruses that circulate this time of year, there’s a lot you can do to reduce your risk of getting sick.
Most respiratory viruses spread through droplets released when a sick person sneezes or coughs. Some viruses can also spread through close contact (say, shaking hands or hugging an infected person). Colds can happen any time of the year, so it’s smart to be vigilant about hygiene as much as possible.
To avoid catching a cold or any other respiratory virus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends washing your hands frequently with soap and water. Stay away, if possible, from anyone you know who is sick—and stay home when you yourself don’t feel well. (It should be okay to return to normal activities when your symptoms are getting better overall and you haven’t had a fever without using fever-reducing medication for at least 24 hours.)
And sometimes, despite taking common-sense precautions, you may end up with a case of the sneezes or a nose that won’t stop running. Both allergy and cold symptoms can be annoying and uncomfortable, but luckily, they are totally manageable—especially if you know what’s causing them.
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