Millions of people suffer from the common cold each year. It starts off from a single sneeze, and then later on you realize that you are already having a headache and a runny nose. Usually, a cold would just leave on its own accord after a few days or so, but while there is no definite cure for it, there are some things you can do hasten your recovery. The common cold is actually caused by a virus, which takes advantage of a compromised immune system. If your immune system is in top condition, there will be no way the cold virus can affect you.
Getting enough sleep and rest is one of the most effective ways to boost your immune system and in turn help ward off colds. In one study, two groups of healthy volunteers were exposed to a cold virus. The researchers found later on that the group who got less than seven hours of sleep was three times more likely to acquire the cold than those who were able to sleep for eight hours. According to the researchers, even a single disturbance during sleep had a huge impact on a person’s susceptibility to the illness. Their advice: get to bed as early as ten in the evening and get at least eight hours of sleep. It is during the period between 10pm to 6am that the healing and repairing activity of the body is at its peak.
Aside from sleep, exercise too, has been found to greatly boost the immune system. Each time you exercise, the number of immune cells in your body increases by up to 300%, according to scientists. It means that even if you can only spend 15-30 minutes of your time each day exercising, you can greatly boost your immune system in such a way that viruses like the ones that cause common colds cannot affect you. Moderate exercises such as brisk walking or biking are especially effective in bolstering the immune system and are required for people who always fall susceptible to the common cold. However, you may want to go easy on exercise especially when you are sick, because over-activity can have a reverse effect on your immune system.
So what do you do in case you get infected with the cold virus? Aside from practicing the proper hygiene of washing your hands and avoiding touching your mouth and nostrils, there are a number of ways on which you can recover from the common cold fast and easy. One is by drinking plenty of water. Water works by flushing out waste and toxin out of your body and promote the production of mucus. When you have colds, your body will use more fluids than usual, so by drinking plenty of water, you are preventing yourself from being dehydrated. If you have cough and phlegm to go along with your cold, water can help thin out mucus in your lung area and help loose phlegm for a less difficult time when coughing.
In the same manner, adding salt to warm water can help if you find yourself having sore throat as well. Salt has anti-bacterial properties, and whether you drink or gargle it, you’ll be amazed at how effective it is in soothing pain associated with sore throat.
Drinking fruit juice rich in vitamin C is also ideal when you have the colds. While there’s very little evidence on the effectiveness of vitamin C in preventing and fighting the cold virus, taking it regularly will help boost the immune system and help alleviate any illness.
If you’re a smoker or a drinker, you might want to get rid of the habits ultimately since both are found to greatly lower the immune system. According to statistics, people who smoke and drink alcohol regularly have frequent occurrences of severe colds than those who do not.
Finally, do your best to give more time for resting and de-stressing. Stress is probably the largest factor that can contribute to a compromised immune system. On the other hand, if you can learn the art of resting and relaxing, you can actually activate your immune system by will. Scientists found evidence that cold and flu virus-fighting cells increase in the bloodstream each time a person tells his mind and body to relax.
Getting enough sleep and rest is one of the most effective ways to boost your immune system and in turn help ward off colds. In one study, two groups of healthy volunteers were exposed to a cold virus. The researchers found later on that the group who got less than seven hours of sleep was three times more likely to acquire the cold than those who were able to sleep for eight hours. According to the researchers, even a single disturbance during sleep had a huge impact on a person’s susceptibility to the illness. Their advice: get to bed as early as ten in the evening and get at least eight hours of sleep. It is during the period between 10pm to 6am that the healing and repairing activity of the body is at its peak.
Aside from sleep, exercise too, has been found to greatly boost the immune system. Each time you exercise, the number of immune cells in your body increases by up to 300%, according to scientists. It means that even if you can only spend 15-30 minutes of your time each day exercising, you can greatly boost your immune system in such a way that viruses like the ones that cause common colds cannot affect you. Moderate exercises such as brisk walking or biking are especially effective in bolstering the immune system and are required for people who always fall susceptible to the common cold. However, you may want to go easy on exercise especially when you are sick, because over-activity can have a reverse effect on your immune system.
So what do you do in case you get infected with the cold virus? Aside from practicing the proper hygiene of washing your hands and avoiding touching your mouth and nostrils, there are a number of ways on which you can recover from the common cold fast and easy. One is by drinking plenty of water. Water works by flushing out waste and toxin out of your body and promote the production of mucus. When you have colds, your body will use more fluids than usual, so by drinking plenty of water, you are preventing yourself from being dehydrated. If you have cough and phlegm to go along with your cold, water can help thin out mucus in your lung area and help loose phlegm for a less difficult time when coughing.
In the same manner, adding salt to warm water can help if you find yourself having sore throat as well. Salt has anti-bacterial properties, and whether you drink or gargle it, you’ll be amazed at how effective it is in soothing pain associated with sore throat.
Drinking fruit juice rich in vitamin C is also ideal when you have the colds. While there’s very little evidence on the effectiveness of vitamin C in preventing and fighting the cold virus, taking it regularly will help boost the immune system and help alleviate any illness.
If you’re a smoker or a drinker, you might want to get rid of the habits ultimately since both are found to greatly lower the immune system. According to statistics, people who smoke and drink alcohol regularly have frequent occurrences of severe colds than those who do not.
Finally, do your best to give more time for resting and de-stressing. Stress is probably the largest factor that can contribute to a compromised immune system. On the other hand, if you can learn the art of resting and relaxing, you can actually activate your immune system by will. Scientists found evidence that cold and flu virus-fighting cells increase in the bloodstream each time a person tells his mind and body to relax.
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