HEALTH: Significant Difference Between Cold and Flu

So you’ve been sniffling and sneezing for the last few hours at work. But how can you tell if that runny nose of yours is just the common cold or of it’s something a little bit more serious? Hopefully, after reading this, you’ll be able to tell the difference between the common cold and flu.

Colds

Colds are so hard to avoid. It’s rare that anyone go more than a year or so without catching a bug. Rather it be from their kids, classmates, co-workers or significant other, you spend most of your time exposed to other peoples germs. While colds aren’t very much fun to have they tend to go away quickly.  Here are a few more symptoms that come with having a cold.

    Symptoms start off mild and gradually get worse
    Sore throat
    Sneezing
    Cough
    Headache
    Fatigue
    Stuffy or runny nose

Unfortunately, there isn’t much that you can do if you feel like you’re coming down with a cold other than stocking up on tissues. There are a few minerals that are suggested to help make colds less bad though. Things like Vitamin C and Zinc will kickstart your immune system and supposedly get you over your cold quicker.

Flu

Unlike a cold, the flu’s symptoms all hit you at once. This leads most people to compare coming down with the flu to getting hit by a bus. They’re not entirely wrong with that description either. If you are unfortunately enough to get the flu then you should be ready to not leave bed for several days. Here are a few more flu symptoms.

    Symptoms all happen at the same time
    Vomiting
    High fever
    Delirium
    Major fatigue
    Congestion

The flu is much more serious than the common cold, as you can tell by the symptoms. If you have one or more of these symptoms and haven’t had a flu shot then it is highly recommended that you seek medical attention since the flu can lead to serious problems like pneumonia in children and the elderly.
Should I see a doctor?

As mentioned before, you could probably just stock up on tissues and try to weather the storm as best you can. However, if you’ve had symptoms for more than a week then you should consider finding a medical professional. You should also seek help if you start to develop something else on top of your cold or flu, like an earache or difficulty breathing to name just a few.

Of course if there is anything that’s making you concerned it’s always best to err on the side of caution and talk to your doctor. If it is something serious then it is usually best to catch it early.
Wrapping it all up

Hopefully you’ve been able to take away some useful information. If you have any questions then feel free to leave them in the comments section below and I’ll be happy to answer them, otherwise you should talk with your doctor.

3:20 AM