Just sleep away – that’s a standard tip when you’ve caught a cold. But is this well-tried household remedy always helpful?
Sleep is essential for health; the immune system is dependent on this resting phase – the body’s T cells then go on the hunt for infected cells and clean up the body.
So does that mean that as soon as you feel off track, your nose is running, and your throat is sore, bed rest is the order of the day?
Bed Rest Is No Longer A Panacea For Colds
Historically, bed rest was supposed to cure everything from heart disease to back pain to the common cold. In the meantime, however, we know that this total inactivity can harm.
In the case of a cold, you should see precisely how bad it has caught you. If the symptoms are limited to one or two regions, you don’t have to go to bed straight away: If you have a little sore throat or earache, have to cough more often, or keep reaching for a handkerchief, you often even benefit from a walk in the fresh air.
This stimulates the circulation and clears the airways again.
Otherwise, it would help if you took it a little easier – long-running training or a challenging cardio workout are usually not a good idea when you have a cold.
With home remedies, you can also support your immune system in putting a milder cold in its place.
When The Cold Gets Worse
However, when you’re feeling sick, with aching limbs and a headache, while your nose is running and you’re coughing, your body is asking for a break.
Sweating or chills, fever, and an increased heart rate are also signs that the entire body is affected. Lying down now gives him a chance to heal and regenerate.
An infection may not break out at all or have a more straightforward course.
On the other hand, if you give yourself full power when you have a severe infection and continue to work, do sport and do leisure activities, you risk procrastinating your illness.
A possible consequence can then be an inflammation of the heart muscle. That’s why it’s essential to listen to your body and to recognize when you need fresh air or when you should stay in bed for a few days
Sufficient Sleep Prevents Colds
By the way, if you make sure you always get enough sleep, you help the immune system prevent colds.
A University of Pittsburgh study found that people who sleep less than seven hours are three times more likely to catch a cold. After all, not getting sick in the first place is the very best thing.
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