What not to do with a cold?

How to treat the common cold at home

Colds are very common. A visit to your health care provider’s office is often not needed, and colds often get better in 3 to 4 days.

A type of germ called a virus causes most colds. There are many types of viruses that can cause a cold. Depending on what virus you have, your symptoms may vary.

Common symptoms of a cold include:

Fever (100°F [37.7°C] or higher) and chills
Headache, sore muscles, and fatigue
Cough
Nasal symptoms, such as stuffiness, runny nose, yellow or green mucus, and sneezing
Sore throat

Mild symptoms of COVID-19 may be similar to those of the common cold. Always check with your provider if you are at risk for COVID-19.

Treating Your Cold

Treating your symptoms will not make your cold go away, but will help you feel better. Antibiotics are almost never needed to treat a common cold.

Acetaminophen (Tylenol) and ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) help lower fever and relieve muscle aches.

Do not use aspirin.
Check the label for the proper dose.
Call your provider if you need to take these medicines more than 4 times per day or for more than 2 or 3 days.

Over-the-counter (OTC) cold and cough medicines may help ease symptoms in adults and older children.

They are not recommended for children under age 4. Talk to your provider before giving your child OTC cold medicine, which can have serious side effects.
Coughing is your body’s way of getting mucus out of your lungs. So, only use medicine to suppress a cough when your cough becomes too painful.
Throat lozenges or sprays for your sore throat.

Many cough and cold medicines you buy have more than one medicine inside. Read the labels carefully to make sure you do not take too much of any one medicine. If you take prescription medicines for another health problem, ask your provider which OTC cold medicines are safe for you.

Drink plenty of fluids, get enough sleep, and stay away from secondhand smoke.

Wheezing can be a common symptom of a cold if you have asthma.

Use your rescue inhaler as prescribed if you are wheezing.
See your provider immediately if it becomes hard to breathe.

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Home Remedies

Many home remedies are popular treatments for the common cold. These include vitamin C, zinc supplements, and echinacea.

Although not proven to be helpful, most home remedies are safe for most people.

Some remedies may cause side effects or allergic reactions.
Certain remedies may change the way other medicines work.
Talk to your provider before trying any herbs and supplements.

Preventing the Spread of Colds

Wash your hands often. This is the best way to stop the spread of germs.

To wash your hands correctly:

Rub soap onto wet hands for 20 seconds. Make sure to get under your fingernails. Dry your hands with a clean paper towel and turn faucet off with paper towel.
You can also use alcohol-based hand sanitizers with at least 60 percent alcohol. Use a dime size amount and rub all over your hands until they are dry.

To further prevent colds:

Stay home when you are sick.
Cough or sneeze into a tissue or into the crook of your elbow and not into the air.

When to Call the Doctor

Try treating your cold at home first. Call your provider right away, or go to the emergency room, if you have:

Difficulty breathing
Sudden chest pain or abdominal pain
Sudden dizziness
Acting strangely
Severe vomiting that does not go away

Also contact your provider if:

You start acting strangely
Your symptoms get worse or do not improve after 7 to 10 days

Alternative Names

Upper respiratory infection — home care; URI — home care

Images

Cold remedies

References

Cohen YZ. The common cold. In: Bennett JE, Dolin R, Blaser MJ, eds. Mandell, Douglas, and Bennett’s Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases. 9th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 58.

Lopez SMC, Williams JV. The common cold. In: Kliegman RM, St. Geme JW, Blum NJ, Shah SS, Tasker RC, Wilson KM, eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 21st ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 407.

Review Date 2/2/2023

Updated by: Linda J. Vorvick, MD, Clinical Professor, Department of Family Medicine, UW Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.

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Common cold

The symptoms are the same in adults and children. Sometimes symptoms last longer in children.

Telling the difference between cold and flu

Cold and flu symptoms are similar, but flu tends to be more severe.

Difference between cold and flu

Cold	Flu
Appears gradually	Appears quickly within a few hours
Affects mainly your nose and throat	Affects more than just your nose and throat
Makes you feel unwell, but you’re OK to carry on as normal (for example, go to work)	Makes you feel exhausted and too unwell to carry on as normal

How you can treat a cold yourself

To help you get better more quickly:

rest and sleep
drink plenty of water (fruit juice or squash mixed with water is OK) to avoid dehydration
gargle salt water to soothe a sore throat (not suitable for children)

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If you have a high temperature or you do not feel well enough to do your normal activities, try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people until you feel better.

A pharmacist can help with cold medicines

You can buy cough and cold medicines from pharmacies or supermarkets. A pharmacist can advise you on the best medicine.

ease aches or lower a temperature with painkillers like paracetamol or ibuprofen
relieve a blocked nose with decongestant sprays or tablets

Decongestants should not be given to children under 6. Children aged 6 to 12 should take them for no longer than 5 days.

Be careful not to use cough and cold medicines if you’re taking paracetamol and ibuprofen tablets. Cough and cold medicines often also contain paracetamol and ibuprofen so it can be easy to take more than the recommended dose.

Some are not suitable for children, babies and pregnant women.

There’s little evidence that supplements (such as vitamin C, echinacea or garlic) prevent colds or speed up recovery.

Non-urgent advice: See a GP if:

your symptoms do not improve after 3 weeks
your symptoms get suddenly worse
your temperature is very high or you feel hot and shivery
you’re concerned about your child’s symptoms
you’re feeling short of breath or develop chest pain
you have a long-term medical condition – for example, diabetes, or a heart, lung or kidney condition
you have a weakened immune system – for example, because you’re having chemotherapy

Antibiotics

GPs do not recommend antibiotics for colds because they will not relieve your symptoms or speed up your recovery.

Antibiotics are only effective against bacterial infections, and colds are caused by viruses.

How to avoid spreading a cold

Colds are caused by viruses and easily spread to other people. You’re infectious until all your symptoms have gone. This usually takes 1 to 2 weeks.

Colds are spread by germs from coughs and sneezes, which can live on hands and surfaces for 24 hours.

To reduce the risk of spreading a cold:

wash your hands often with warm water and soap
use tissues to trap germs when you cough or sneeze
bin used tissues as quickly as possible

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How to prevent catching a cold

A person with a cold can start spreading it from a few days before their symptoms begin until the symptoms have finished.

The best ways to avoid catching a cold are:

washing your hands with warm water and soap
not sharing towels or household items (like cups) with someone who has a cold
not touching your eyes or nose in case you have come into contact with the virus – it can infect the body this way
staying fit and healthy

The flu vaccine helps prevent flu but not colds.

See how to wash your hands correctly

Video: How to wash your hands

Watch this video to find out the best way to wash your hands.

Media last reviewed: 15 March 2023
Media review due: 15 March 2026

Page last reviewed: 04 February 2021
Next review due: 04 February 2024

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Catching a Cold When It’s Warm

Most everyone looks forward to summer—time to get away, get outside and have some fun. So what could be more unfair than catching a cold when it’s warm? How can cold symptoms arise when it’s not cold and flu season? Is there any way to dodge the summertime sniffles?

Cold symptoms can be caused by more than 200 different viruses. Each can bring the sneezing, scratchy throat and runny nose that can be the first signs of a cold. The colds we catch in winter are usually triggered by the most common viral infections in humans, a group of germs called rhinoviruses. Rhinoviruses and a few other cold-causing viruses seem to survive best in cooler weather. Their numbers surge in September and begin to dwindle in May.

During summer months, the viral landscape begins to shift. “Generally speaking, summer and winter colds are caused by different viruses,” says Dr. Michael Pichichero, a pediatrician and infectious disease researcher at the Rochester General Hospital Research Institute in New York. “When you talk about summer colds, you’re probably talking about a non-polio enterovirus infection.”

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Enteroviruses can infect the tissues in your nose and throat, eyes, digestive system and elsewhere. A few enteroviruses can cause polio, but vaccines have mostly eliminated these viruses from Western countries. Far more widespread are more than 60 types of non-polio enteroviruses. They’re the second most common type of virus—after rhinovirus—that infects humans. About half of people with enterovirus infections don’t get sick at all. But nationwide, enteroviruses cause an estimated 10 million to 15 million illnesses each year, usually between June and October.

Enteroviruses can cause a fever that comes on suddenly. Body temperatures may range from 101 to 104 °F. Enteroviruses can also cause mild respiratory symptoms, sore throat, headache, muscle aches and gastrointestinal issues like nausea or vomiting.

“All age groups can be affected, but like most viral infections, enterovirus infections predominate in childhood,” says Pichichero. Adults may be protected from enterovirus infections if they’ve developed antibodies Germ-fighting molecules made by the immune system. from previous exposures. But adults can still get sick if they encounter a new type of enterovirus.

Less common enteroviruses can cause other symptoms. Some can lead to conjunctivitis, or pinkeye—a swelling of the outer layer of the eye and eyelid. Others can cause an illness with rash. In rare cases, enteroviruses can affect the heart or brain.

To prevent enterovirus infections, says Pichichero, “it’s all about blocking viral transmission.” The viruses travel in respiratory secretions, like saliva or mucus, or in the stool of an infected person. You can become infected by direct contact. Or you might pick up the virus by touching contaminated surfaces or objects, such as a telephone, doorknob or baby’s diaper. “Frequent hand washing and avoiding exposure to people who are sick with fever can help prevent the spread of infection,” says Pichichero.

The summer colds caused by enteroviruses generally clear up without treatment within a few days or even a week. But see a health care provider if you have concerning symptoms, like a high fever or a rash.