How To Combat Your Cold This Fall

Especially after a long, hot summer, fall is a welcomed relief. Not only do the outside temperatures get cooler, but also, the landscape changes beautifully. Unfortunately, this is also the time of year when many people come down with a cold. Because you want to enjoy fall and all the fun festivities instead of feeling miserable, learn how to fight back.

Take a Natural Approach to a Cold This Fall

Instead of using traditional medicine, you can naturally get relief from a fall cold. Although this might sound strange, it helps to blow your nose often. Not only that, there’s a right way to do this. You want to use a finger to keep one nostril closed while you blow out the other nostril. This will prevent you from sucking the mucus back in. Also, always wash your hands, so you don’t pass germs around.

Gargle With Salt Water

This old remedy still works great today for a fall cold. Fill a glass about half full with warm water. Then add one teaspoon of regular table salt. After stirring, gargle it without swallowing any. Doing this several times a day helps soothe and even prevent a sore throat. Another option is to gargle with any tea that contains tannin.

Get Plenty of Rest and Drink Hot Beverages

Okay, it’s only a fall cold, but it’ll still wear your body down. To give your immune system a much-needed boost, be sure to rest as often as you can. You’ll also find that drinking warm beverages helps fight the common cold. Although you can choose from several things, chamomile tea with honey works wonders. For one thing, it’ll soothe your throat. For another, it contains both antibacterial and antiviral properties.

Use Lozenges

For this, the goal is to buy lozenges that contain zinc, vitamin C, or either elderberry or echinacea extract. All of these do a remarkable job in combatting a cold. There’s also mint tea. To this, you can add a few drops of peppermint oil. Along with making your sore throat feel better, it’ll help you breathe easier.

Take Hot Showers

Another way to clear the nasal passages and relax sore muscles is to take several hot showers during the day. Sometimes, people get chills with a cold. If that happens, wrap up in a warm blanket or robe following your showers.

Sleep With Two Pillows

It’s often hard to sleep when dealing with a fall cold. So, instead of one pillow, put two beneath your head. This will reduce the risk of getting a sore throat. That’s because elevating your head while sleeping prevents mucus from going down the throat; instead, it will go out the nose.

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Avoid Traveling by Air

Many people don’t realize that flying with a cold puts stress on the upper respiratory system. If you need to travel by air, have a pack of chewing gum and nasal spray on hand.