How to Get Rid of a Cold Fast—13 Dos and Don’ts

While there's still no real way to cure a cold, there are some things you can do to help ease your symptoms—and shorten the time you're sick.

Managing the misery

When the headache, sniffles, and hacking cough takes over, the first thing you want is for this cold to be over fast. Here’s the bad news: On average, cold symptoms last about seven to 10 days. But you can come in on the shorter side of that estimate and maybe beat it by making sure you take the right steps—and avoid the useless ones. Just follow these expert recommendations.

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How to get over a cold: Rest

Sure, your work and your family are important, and you don’t have time to lie in bed. But when you feel a cold coming on, try to give yourself a break for at least the first few days. Your body needs that time to heal. And rest is one of the best ways to get rid of a cold that’s coming on. Think of it as being kind to your work or school colleagues as well; research shows that the first few days of a cold (and a day or two earlier, before you even know you’re sick) is when you’re most contagious. If you need some tips, here’s how to call in sick.

“Rest is absolutely a good treatment, and I would encourage people not to go outside—at least not in crowded areas where you could transmit the virus to others,” says Michael Incze, MD, a physician in Salt Lake City. How fast can cold viruses spread? A virus placed on a single doorknob in an office could contaminate the entire building within hours. These bad habits could also put your health at risk.

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How to get over a cold: Drink fluids

Want to know how to get rid of a cold fast? You lose a lot of liquid from congestion, sneezing, and constantly blowing your nose; replacing those fluids will help you feel better sooner. Water and juice are fine, but warm liquids are especially comforting and might help ease congestion by increasing mucus flow. Try salty broths and liquids like chicken soup to replace electrolytes, herbal teas, or just hot water with lemon. “I do recommend hot liquids. But use common sense,” says Cat Livingston, MD, a family physician with Oregon Health Sciences University. “There have been a couple of reports that people were so aggressive with fluids it actually caused harm.”

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How to get over a cold: Gargle

“Gargling with salt water can be helpful for a sore throat,” says Dr. Livingston, who co-authored a paper for the American Academy of Family Physicians on treatments for symptoms of the common cold. The Mayo Clinic recommends a salt-water gargle to soothe a scratchy throat: Make a formula of one-quarter to one-half teaspoon of salt dissolved in an 8-ounce glass of warm water.

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How to get over a cold: Use saline nasal drops, sprays, and irrigation

If you want help getting rid of a cold, try saline nasal drops, sprays, or irrigation methods. “Things like Neti pots and nasal irrigation can often help relieve congestion,” explains Dr. Incze, who recently collaborated on a patient information page about the common cold for the American Medical Association. “There have been studies to show those work. If you use a Neti pot, keep it clean and use distilled water or water that’s been sterilized by boiling.” (Just be sure to let it cool first; don’t burn yourself.) Over-the-counter saline drops and sprays can also help relieve stuffiness and congestion. If you opt for OTC decongestant drops or sprays, don’t use them for more than five days. After that, you risk having rebound symptoms when you stop. Now, learn these other OTC medication mistakes to avoid.

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How to get over a cold: Try OTC cold and cough meds

There’s a reason that many manufacturers offer combination drug therapies for colds. “There’s some evidence that the combination of antihistamine and decongestants helps decrease inflammation,” says Dr. Livingston. She explains that antihistamines alone aren’t effective in treating cold symptoms. “But in combination with decongestants, they can help improve symptoms if you start within the first couple of days.” Here’s a guide to taking your cold meds correctly.

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How to get over a cold: Use OTC pain relievers

If you want to know how to get over a cold, pain relievers like acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Advil) won’t do anything to fight the virus, but they can help you feel better if you have a simultaneous headache or muscle aches. “Take a look at the daily recommended limits, and make sure you take into account what kind of medical conditions you have, and what other medications you’re taking,” says Dr. Incze. “For instance, if you have kidney disease, naproxen or ibuprofen aren’t a good idea.” Read labels carefully. Many over-the-counter cold remedies are combinations of drugs, so if you take a pain reliever plus a cold remedy you might be getting a double dose of acetaminophen or another analgesic.

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How to cure a cold: Maybe use humidifiers and vaporizers

A 2017 medical review of heated or humidified air delivered by one specific device (RhinoTherm) found that “current evidence does not show any benefits or harms from the use of heated, humidified air…” Translation: There’s no evidence it helps if you are trying to get over a cold, but there’s no harm in trying it if you think it might make you feel better. Plenty of people feel that adding moisture to the air soothes irritated nasal passages and helps loosen congestion. If you do decide to try it, the Mayo Clinic recommends using a cool-mist humidifier or vaporizer, and that you change the water daily and keep the unit clean according to the manufacturer’s instructions to prevent the growth of bacteria or mold.

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How to get over a cold: Maybe consume honey

“Anecdotally, honey can help relieve symptoms, but I don’t think it’s a huge immune booster,” says Dr. Incze. However, people with sore throats and coughs often swear by the sweet, soothing syrup. Add some to your tea if it feels good, but never give it to children under the age of one due to the risk of infant botulism. Find more natural cold remedies that really work.

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How to get over a cold: Maybe add zinc

Studies have been mixed, but there’s some evidence that zinc lozenges can help you get rid of a cold by shortening the duration of it by a day or so if you start taking them within 24 hours of your first symptoms. One recent study at the University of Helsinki in Finland found that on average, taking zinc lozenges cut the duration of a cold by one third. But don’t bother taking the mineral if more than a day has gone by since your symptoms began—at that point, it won’t help. Also, some people find zinc difficult to take because of side effects like nausea and changes to their taste and smell. If you do decide to try it, read the label to determine the correct dosage. “And never, ever put zinc up your nose,” says Dr. Livingston. “It can affect your sense of smell forever.”

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How to get over a cold: Maybe add echinacea

“There’s mixed evidence on this herb,” says Dr. Livingston. “There have been a number of positive studies and a number of neutral studies. A lot of people have interpreted that to mean it’s ineffective against cold symptoms.” But there might be another reason for the mixed results. Herbal products can vary in quality and potency, she says. “So echinacea might be slightly effective…but it might depend on the version you take.” As with zinc, Echinacea seems to be most effective if you start taking it when you first notice cold symptoms. And since the herb can interact with many other medications, check with your doctor before taking it. Here’s how doctors and nurses give colds the boot.

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How to get over a cold: Don’t take vitamin C

If you’ve already got a cold, there’s no point in taking vitamin C—it won’t help your symptoms or get rid of the cold faster. And if you’ve been taking vitamin C regularly beforehand, it won’t stop you from getting a cold, either. “But if you have been taking vitamin C, once you do get a cold, it might be a day shorter,” says Dr. Livingston. Keep in mind, though, that megadoses can carry side effects. A 1000 mg dose of vitamin C is equivalent to the amount in 14 oranges, and scientists warn that the body isn’t really designed to handle this much vitamin C at once.

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How to get over a cold: Don’t drink alcohol

Your grandparents may have added a shot of whiskey to their tea (along with honey or lemon) as a homemade cold remedy, but you’ll want to omit the booze in that home remedy. “I don’t think there’s any benefit at all, and there are potential harms,” says Dr. Incze. “Alcohol can be dehydrating, like a diuretic. And it can exacerbate the effects of certain cold medicines since it’s sedating like antihistamines—which are in a lot of nighttime cold remedies. That combination, of alcohol and antihistamines, could lead to falls.” This is what experts say is the right amount of alcohol to drink.

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How to get over a cold: Don’t take antibiotics

If you want to know how to cure a cold, antibiotics are the biggest “no” of all. “Antibiotics are great when you have a bacterial infection, but a cold is almost never a bacterial infection. It’s viral,” explains Dr. Incze. Yet so many people get a prescription when they go to the doctor with cold symptoms, he says. And taking antibiotics when you don’t need them just gives bacteria an opportunity to build up resistance to the drugs. “We’re creating superbugs with the bacteria that are out there,” says Dr. Incze. When you have a cold avoid going to the doctor if possible, he says: “If you do go, there’s a good chance you’ll get a prescription for antibiotics.” The best plan for a cold is simply to wait it out—your symptoms should be better in a week to ten days. If two weeks go by and you’re still sick, seek medical advice. Now, check out more old-time remedies we need to bring back.

Sources

Beth Weinhouse, MS
Beth is an award-winning journalist who specializes in health and medicine. In her three-decades-long career, she’s been the executive medical director for Prevention magazine and held editorial roles with SELF, Physicians’ Life, Parenting, Redbook, RxRemedy, and Reader’s Digest. She was also the founding editor of Conceive Magazine, which, under her editorship, earned a Gold Folio award and was named one of the 50 Best Magazines in the country by The Chicago Tribune. As a healthcare writer, Beth’s work has appeared in dozens of national publications, including The Healthy, Family Circle, Glamour, Health, Ladies’ Home Journal, Real Simple, Parents, and many more. She’s also the co-author of Outrageous Practices, a book about gender bias in healthcare.