New Delhi: As soon as cold symptoms hit, you want to get rid of them quickly. It’s hard to focus on the things you love to do when your nose feels stuffy and runny, you can’t stop sneezing, and your throat feels scratchy. There are other easy, affordable at-home remedies that people of all ages can use to relieve a sore throat using ingredients you likely already have in your pantry.
Drink Up!
Get plenty of fluids. It helps break up your congestion, makes your throat moist, and keeps you from getting dehydrated.
Need any ideas for something to drink? Try water, sports drinks, herbal teas, fruit drinks, or ginger ale. Your mother’s chicken soup might help, too!
Make It Steamy!
You can loosen up your stuffy nose if you breathe in some steam. Hold your head over a pot of boiling water and breathe slowly through your nose. But be careful. Don’t let the heat burn your nose.
You can also get some relief with a humidifier in your bedroom. Also, try to take in some moisture from a hot shower with the door closed.
Blow Your Nose
It’s better than sniffling mucus back into your head. But make sure you do it the right way. If you blow hard, you’ll send germ-carrying phlegm back into your ear passages, which can lead to an earache.
Sleep it off
Sleep is essential for your body to rest and heal. Research shows that when you’re sleeping, your body makes proteins called cytokines, which are important for fighting infection and inflammation.
Keep things clean
It’s just as important to keep the virus from spreading to your friends and family as it is to relieve your own symptoms. Make sure to clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces at home and work. Be especially mindful to do so during cold and flu season, or whenever someone around you is sick.
