A simple cold is relatively harmless, but if you neglect or don’t treat it properly, you risk unnecessarily prolonging the illness. To get rid of symptoms quickly without complications, you should avoid these eight mistakes when you have a cold.

1. USING THE NASAL SPRAY INCORRECTLY

Pharmacy nasal spray provides immediate relief from nasal congestion, but you need to be careful not to use it too often or for a long time. Once your mucous membranes have become accustomed to the active ingredients, they may become even more inflamed.

If you continue to use the nasal spray, irritated nasal mucous membranes may dry out and no longer fulfill their defense function, which in turn clears the way for germs. Therefore, you should use nasal sprays for a week at most.

The natural and safe alternative is seawater aerosol, without drugs or additives, which you can use sparingly.

2. BLOWING YOUR NOSE HARD AND PULLING OUT NASAL MUCUS

Runny nose is uncomfortable and no one likes to go around constantly sipping their mucus. But somehow you have to get rid of nasal mucus. However, blowing your nose too hard can encourage mucus to enter the sinuses, where viruses and bacteria can settle, aggravating the infection.

It is also not a good idea to swallow mucus, because they can promote throat infection. It is best to clean the runny nose as it comes out or blow your nose with little pressure.

3. STAYING IN BED TO SPEED HEALING

When we have colds, we feel apathetic and tired and therefore prefer to get into bed, but this helps little. It is better to bundle up and go for a walk in the street, as it is good for circulation and irritated nasal mucous membranes.

Bed rest is necessary and appropriate only when you have a fever.

4. SUPPRESS SNEEZING

Sneezing is noisy and uncomfortable in public, but we are not equipped with this reflex by chance: it is a tool of the body to get rid of foreign bodies such as dust, viruses and bacteria. If you suppress the sneeze, if you sneeze inward, the pressure that should expel the foreign body from the body is directed inward.

This can cause overpressure on the ear, which is uncomfortable. What you should pay attention to when sneezing is not to sneeze into the palms of your hands, but on the inside of your elbow. This way you protect the people around you from viruses and bacteria.

5. EXERCISE TOO SOON

If you have a cold, you should go for a walk warm, but without exercising excessively. Above all, exhausting endurance sports put additional stress on the body.

When you have a cold, your immune system works harder than usual to fight off pathogens. The effort of sport is another stressor. If your immune system depletes its reserves, it may prove less effective against pathogens. The same goes for bacterial infections.

There is currently not enough reliable, evidence-based research on the topic. However, if you want to be sure, you can listen to the assessment of some experts who believe that sport can cause pathogens to attack, even, the heart and cause myocarditis, which can be life-threatening. Sport with fever is also an absolute taboo.

If you have a mild cold, you can resume exercise as soon as symptoms go away. After febrile infections, you should take a break of at least a week. Listen to your body, slowly return to it, and exercise as much as is good for you.

People with a chronic illness or immunodeficiency should be especially careful. Medical advice should be urgently sought on when and to what extent it is advisable to start exercising.

6. TREAT THE COLD WITH ANTIBIOTICS

Antibiotics are only effective against bacterial infections, but most colds are viral infections. In a common cold they do not help, in fact, they are harmful, because the more antibiotics used, the greater the risk that the bacteria will become resistant to drugs.

Medicinal plants that help control infections are a much better option.

7. SWEAT IN THE SAUNA

If you want to get rid of a cold quickly, sit in a hot bath, then wrap up and lie down with a hot water bottle. But don’t take a sauna, because the dry hot air puts extra pressure on the already weak circulation. A visit to the sauna also favors germs to multiply better. If you have a cold, you should avoid the sauna.

8. GO TO WORK

A cold usually doesn’t tie you to bed right away. However, it makes sense to stay home for the first two to three days of an infection, because during that time the risk of you infecting your peers is high.

It is advisable to keep some distance from colleagues, friends and family until all symptoms have completely disappeared.

The post 8 Common Mistakes That Make a Cold Worse appeared first on FreeLifeHealth.