5 Things You're Doing to Make Your Cold Worse

No matter how much you bolster your immune system with supplements, it's almost inevitable to fall victim to seasonal ills like colds and flu during the Winter. When fighting your illness this season, avoid making your symptoms worse and prolonging your recovery by not making the following mistakes.

Not Eating

It's easy to forget to refuel when you're under the weather, but your body needs the energy from food to support your immune system's efforts in fighting disease. Making cold-fighting foods like flavanoid-packed citrus fruits or easily digested and electrolyte-replenishing broths a part of your diet will give you one less thing to worry about and get you healthier faster.

Not Hydrating

Your body needs to be well hydrated to function when you are healthy and even more so when you're sick. Drinking antioxidant-packed teas, juices, tonics, and water will help your body flush toxins, replenish electrolytes, and keep mucus membranes moist enough to catch and sweep out nasal irritants. Sticking to hot drinks is a doubly beneficial as the temperature helps soothe the throat and the steam helps loosen mucus in the sinus area.

Not Sleeping

Your body does its best healing when you're resting it. Don't think of your time off sick as an free pass to stay up all night bingeing on your favourite shows; give your body the time it needs to recharge. Among other things, sleep helps you fight infection by allowing your body to target energy at the places that need it most, namely your immune system, which helps you fight infection.

Over-medicating

Unless prescribed by your doctor, medications like antibiotics shouldn't be your automatic response to common colds. Overuse can make your body resistant to them, making them less effective when your body really does need them.

Working Through It

Increased stress and anxiety levels play a big part in making us more susceptible to illness. If your immune system is compromised because you are tired, overworked, and mentally depleted, attempting to work through a cold puts more strain on your body, requiring it more time to recover, which will prolong your illness and keep you out of action for longer.