Common Cold – Causes

Transcript

“The common cold is caused by over 200 different viruses, and it’s super, super easy to spread from person to person. So typically what we’ll see is a sick person coughing or sneezing directly into a elderly person. And then they would then include the virus. But also if a sick person coughs or sneezes into their hand, the virus can survive for up to two hours on skin surfaces and even longer on harder surfaces, such as doorknobs or kitchen counters. So then if a healthy person comes along and touches the infected surface and then touches their mouth or nose, they can become infected. Typically a person who has a common cold is most infectious around day three of their symptoms, but they can be infectious to one to two weeks after they first get sick. There are certain things that can exacerbate your common cold symptoms. So if you’re under a lot of stress or you’re not getting really good quality sleep, if you’re dehydrated, if you have poor nutrition or if you smoke, those are all factors that can make your symptoms worse.

Even though the cold is self limited to things like a runny or stuffy nose, sore throat or headache, sometimes your symptoms can change into something else. And that would be the time to contact your doctor. So those more serious complications include things like a sinus infection or ear infections, bronchitis. So inflammation of the airway, asthma flare ups, or even pneumonia. And then if you’re having severe trouble breathing at any point, that’s a sign to talk to your doctor right away to make sure that you’re getting immediate medical care. There can be lingering symptoms too. So once you’re completely recovered from a cold, you might still have some shortness of breath or fatigue. Hopefully it’s going to get better in a couple of weeks, but if it lasts, that’s the reason to go see your doctor as well. And unfortunately, we can’t stop the common cold because it’s common, right?

It’s why we say it’s a common cold, and it can be really frustrating, but there are measures that you can take for yourself and your family to help prevent yourself from getting sick in the first place. Or if you do get sick, helping control your symptoms so you can feel better faster. So some of those measures that you can do are things like washing your hands regularly with soap and water or using disinfectant, if you don’t have soap available. Really trying to avoid touching your mouth and your nose as much as possible, or avoid touching high surface contact areas or going out in public or being around a crowded space or around someone who you know has an active cold infection. Another thing that you could do is improve your natural immunity. So that’s where having a healthy diet, regular exercise, great quality sleep, you’re sleeping about seven to eight hours that’s uninterrupted, staying well hydrated and reducing your stress as much as possible, can help boost your natural immunity. And finally, don’t forget to do your part too. If you’re sick, please stay home. Because the best way you can protect your community is, if you are contagious, knowing when it’s safe to stay home ao you don’t expose other people. So these are some tips you can implement to help keep yourself and your family safe.”