The so called common cold, doesn’t just happen in the winter during the holiday. Virsues don’t discriminate seasons. There are many pesky viruses that can cause symptoms of colds. The viruses differ which effects summer verse winter colds. Rhinovirus usually is the main culprit affecting winter colds, where enterovirus usually affects summer colds. Regardless of when you get a cold and what virus is the cause, colds are never fun for anyone and always feel worse than they really are ruining vacations, travel and more.

Symptoms include running nose, itchy eyes, congestion, headache, muscle aches, fevers and more typically lasting 7-10 days.A common trigger for some is allergies which many mistaken for a cold however allergies last longer and you aren’t likely to experience fevers, gi issues, or body aches.

There are numerous reasons one can get affected with a “summer cold” including:  lack of sleep decreasing your immune system, eating poorly,  lots of travel exposure to numerous germs. Air-conditioning blowing and circulating germs doesn’t help either. Air conditioning dries out your mucus lining in your nares making you likely to contract viruses. Also traveling in and out of building from the blistering sun outside to indoor blowing cold frigid air doesn’t help either. The drastic temperature change can negatively impact your immune system.

Although summer colds are not as common many people still suffer with these annoying symptoms. They can be transmitted numerous ways including saliva, mucus, and even stool. That’s why hand washing is imperative because you can pick it up from touching contaminated objects and surfaces.

Life style changes improve symptoms more than antibiotics do for summer colds. Washing hands, getting enough sleep, moderate exercise, getting enough vegetables and fruits, taking daily multivitamin, remaining stress free, and using a humidifier all improve likelihood of catching colds and improving cold outcomes. Symptoms usually resolve on their own within a week but resting, gargling with salt water, drinking bone broth, lemon honey ginger tea, golden milk lattes and eating lots of colorful veggies may all decrease your duration and intensity of the cold.

Supplements like Vitamin C, vitamin D, Echinacea and zinc decrease the duration of colds when taken during early symptoms of a cold, while astragalus boosts your immune system and prevents symptoms. If your cold is lingering more than a week, you need to see a doctor to make sure it’s nothing worse.

What you need to know about summer colds!