[Feature] Feeling Cold and Miserable

The editors at Life in Boxes care for the overall well-being of our readers. I mean, the weather is pretty unpredictable nowadays; last week had temperatures up to a glorious 66°F .. only to drop down to a high of 34°F today. With such a huge drop in weather conditions, it’s no surprise that you’re starting to feel a bit light-headed and overwhelmed with cough attacks! But before you decide to man it up and rely solely on your oh-so-strong antibodies to pull you through an oncoming cold, why not find out if you’re really sick or not? Here are the top illnesses/infections to look out for.

The Common Cold: Pretty common, pretty annoying
The common cold is a group of symptoms in the upper respiratory tract caused by over 200 different viruses. The most common is the rhinovirus, which causes about 10% to 40% in the case of the common cold. These cold viruses enters your body through your nose or mouth and are easily spread. You are most likely to catch the common cold if you are excessively fatigued, have emotional distress, or even if you have allergies with nose and throat symptoms.
How do I know if I have common cold symptoms?
If you are experiencing a sore throat followed by clear, watery nasal drainage; sneezing; a tired sensation; a low fever (usually below 101° F); and a mild cough, chances are you have caught the dreaded common cold.
How long will I be sick?
Common cold symptoms usually last anywhere from a day to three days after you are infected by the cold virus and usually last for about three to seven days (though you may feel congested during the week to follow). The first three days are when you are most contagious, so be sure not to pass the cold virus to your loved ones.
How do I treat it?
Unfortunately, there is no cure for the common cold. But fear not, there are treatments to take to attack your cold symptoms .. but not the cold virus, itself. Cold medicines and treatments can lighten your symptoms, but are not the perfect remedy for every single person; after all, everyone’s body reacts differently with a virus. It all really depends on your cold symptoms – if you have a nasal or sinus congestion, a decongestant cold medicine is best (though, it can make people hyper and keep them awake). Those with runny noses and sneezes should take antihistamines, which often make people drowsy.
To treat your nasty cough, there are various methods to go; not all doctors agree on the same methods to treat a cough, but depending on what you prefer, you can get an over-the-counter (OTC) cough syrup to suppress coughs, or one to help loosen thick mucus build-up to cough it up. If anything, your doctor can prescribe a stronger prescription.

The Flu: Misery business
Commonly known as the flu, influenza is a contagious respiratory illness caused by (what else?) influenza viruses. It can be mild or severe, and in some cases it can lead to death. Most healthy people can recover without much complication, but older people, young children, and others with certain health conditions are at a higher risk for serious complications.
How do I know if I have flu symptoms?
The flu season usually hits when you notice a number of little kids staying home from school; eventually, the flu spreads with similar infections to other age groups. Symptoms usually come on suddenly, with high fevers, headaches, tiredness (which can usually be extreme), dry coughs, a sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, diarrhea and vomiting.
How does it spread?
The flu usually spread from person to person in respiratory droplets (when people with the flu cough or sneeze), or by touching something with the influenza virus on it, then touching your mouth, nose, or eyes. Infected adults can pass the flu onto others from one day before the symptoms arise, up until five days after getting sick.
How do I treat it?
The most effective way to protect yourself from the flu is by getting your flu vaccination every year. If you were unable to get the flu shot and are home sick with the virus, you can either go to the doctor to get proper, stronger medication (and please do so, especially if your illness worsens!) or attack the flu virus from the comfort of your own home, one symptom at a time:
Overall aches and congestion: Breathe in aromatic steam, take a warm shower, increase liquids, use moist heat compresses.
Stuffy nose: nasal saline irrigation, saline (salt water) nasal sprays, decongestant nasal sprays.
Coughing: OTC cough syrup, cough drops or hard candy.
Scratchy throat and congestion: expectorants (Robitussin, Mucinex), hot chicken soup with spices (adding garlic, ginger, chili peppers, horseradish).
Nighttime congestion and can’t sleep: humidifiers, OTC nasal strips.

Bronchitis: Sounds like a name of a dinosaur, probably because you’ll sound like one
When the tubes that carry air to your lungs are inflamed and irritated, the tubes will swell and produce mucus. This makes you cough, and this mean bronchitis.
There are two types of bronchitis: Acute bronchitis usually lasts for about two to three weeks; most healthy people get better without any long-term problems. Acute bronchitis is often caused by a virus; people get acute bronchitis after having an upper respiratory tract infection (the cold or the flu) or by bacteria. Chronic bronchitis keeps coming back and can last a long time (especially for people who smoke!) Chronic bronchitis can lead to at least three months of coughing with mucus for three months out of a year for at about two years in a row.
How do I know if I have bronchitis symptoms?
A cough is probably the main symptom of acute bronchitis. It may be a dry, hacking cough at first (not producing any mucus), but may lead to a more productive cough a few days later. In a productive cough, mucus maybe clear, yellow, or green, occasionally with small streaks of blood. Other symptoms include a general feeling of tiredness, a sensation of tightness, burning, or dull pain in the chest (usually worse when breathing deeply or coughing), hoarseness, wheezing when breathing, and a mild fever (usually below 101° F). A higher fever may indicate pneumonia. If you suspect that your case of acute bronchitis may be pneumonia, call your doctor as soon as possible and schedule an appointment.
How do I treat it?
Acute bronchitis usually goes away in two to three weeks. Home treatment is usually all that is necessary to chase the illness away:
Relieve coughing by drinking a lot of fluids and taking nonprescription cough suppressants. They can help you stop coughing, and expectorants can make coughing easier by building up mucus. Avoid caffeine and alcohol, as they can cause you to lose fluid and can lead to dehydration. Hold off on the cigarettes, if you smoke. Get some rest so your body will have the energy to fight the infection. Use nonprescription medication (acetaminophen, ibuprofen) to relieve fever and body aches. Breath in moist air from a humidifier, hot shows, etc.) to keep mucus in your airways moist to ease your coughing.
If anything, go see a doctor. Antibiotics aren’t necessary, but can be used to treat people who are at increased risk for complications.

Above anything, make sure that you read the labels before taking any sort of medication (especially when medicating a child). If your sickness worsens, go see a doctor instead of staying home miserable and wasting your [very few] sick days from work!

Feel better soon!