# Stopping coughs and colds



## User16625 (16 Oct 2018)

I really dread having colds. This is because when I get one, they come with a chesty cough which goes on for weeks! Stops me sleepin properly, stops me cycling properly, stops me being anything good! Get one practically every year, really gets me down.

So is there any effective way to reduce the chances of getting a cold? and effectively treating it once you get one?

How do you find cycling with a cough? Do you find moderate efforts affect it in any way?

The runny nose and sore throat I can handle, but the dam coughing!


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## PhilDawson8270 (16 Oct 2018)

RideLikeTheStig said:


> I really dread having colds. This is because when I get one, they come with a chesty cough which goes on for weeks! Stops me sleepin properly, stops me cycling properly, stops me being anything good! Get one practically every year, really gets me down.
> 
> So is there any effective way to reduce the chances of getting a cold? and effectively treating it once you get one?
> 
> ...


One of the situations where prevention is better than the cure.

Flu jab and avoid confined public spaces.


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## User16625 (16 Oct 2018)

PhilDawson8270 said:


> One of the situations where prevention is better than the cure.
> 
> Flu jab and* avoid confined public spaces*.



Certainly don't have a problem doing this. Never have been one for queues or crowds. Ironic then that the local docs have both altho I very rarely need to go there.


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## I like Skol (16 Oct 2018)

I used to get bad chesty coughs everytime I got a cold. I would be coughing for a week or more, keeping me awake, keeping my wife awake, coughing so much, so hard I would get a headache and my stomach muscles would hurt. Then I started working awful 12hr rotating shifts but began cycling to work. In fact I found cyclechat and started cycling loads, and since then I rarely get a serious cold and hardly ever do they develop into a cough. I don't know if it is improved fitness or just being out in the bad weather and pollution but these last 8-9yrs have been completely different.

I suggest you just ride your bike much more......


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## User16625 (16 Oct 2018)

I like Skol said:


> I used to get bad chesty coughs everytime I got a cold. I would be coughing for a week or more, keeping me awake, keeping my wife awake, coughing so much, so hard I would get a headache and my stomach muscles would hurt. Then I started working awful 12hr rotating shifts but began cycling to work. In fact I found cyclechat and started cycling loads, and since then I rarely get a serious cold and hardly ever do they develop into a cough. I don't know if it is improved fitness or just being out in the bad weather and pollution but these last 8-9yrs have been completely different.
> 
> I suggest you just ride your bike much more......



That's a suggestion I will gladly try. Just a couple of hours ago I did do a nice short relaxing ride. My energy levels are alrite, but didnt want to push it in case I trigger coughing fits. Haven't done as much riding as I'd like lately tbh.


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## vickster (16 Oct 2018)

Avoid children (plague carriers)...and people who have children  

The Vicks First Defence stuff can be helpful. Colds last 2-3 weeks assuming your immune system is ok

Assume you don’t smoke? If you do, stop!


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## ColinJ (16 Oct 2018)

Dogtrousers said:


> Take loads of placebos


If you think that placebos work, but know that they are placebos, can you get the same effect by pretending to take them?


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## Svendo (16 Oct 2018)

Wash your hands; don’t touch your face.


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## Milkfloat (16 Oct 2018)

ColinJ said:


> If you think that placebos work, but know that they are placebos, can you get the same effect by pretending to take them?


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## MichaelW2 (16 Oct 2018)

I get this too, a nasty cough that hangs around for weeks if not months and sets my fitness back to zero.
My wife swears by pine cone jam, a traditional treatment for lung weakness.
The masks that people wear in the far east are most effective in stopping hand to mouth transfer of virus rather than as air filters.
Wash hands a lot.
Avoid other people, public transport, shops, handrails.


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## Globalti (16 Oct 2018)

Avoiding colds is down to simple hygiene: never pick your nose or rub your eyes, especially when out in public. Always wash your hands immediately on entering your house; we do and we seldom catch colds. Always wash your hands before sitting down to work at you desk or computer.

If you get a sore throat, take zinc tabs and gargle with Corsodyl mouthwash three times a day making sure it gets right back to the back of your nose. Corsodyl is a powerful antiseptic, which does kill viruses. It's also good dabbed on small cuts and spots.

Many coughs are simply caused by inflammation of the bronchia, for which Ibuprofen works well.

Note: the above doesn't work when some ignorant ill-mannered person sneezes full in your face as somebody did when I was on an overseas trip recently. A cold is then almost inevitable.


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## tom73 (16 Oct 2018)

Marry a Nurse they come home with all sort's of nasties and bug's and have hand's that have been in every place you can imagine and many you may not. So over time you become immune to all thing's known to man. But be warned the effect dip's a little when annual leave come's round but once back your soon topped up. 

Basically don't get too OCD about it. No amount of cleaning or hand washing will prevent everything. Unless every place you go and your home is more than socially clean you can't stop it. The best way to limit cold's is try not to get run down , stay health and eat well. That way when one come's calling you will be able to get over it that much quicker.


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## steverob (16 Oct 2018)

I have no advice on how to avoid colds - I typically get one or two a year about 9 months apart regardless of what I try (indeed have just finished my most recent one a few weeks back), but can sympathise with bit about the cough that follows. Until a few years back, a cold to me was just a sore throat for two days, three further days of a runny nose, then it pretty much cleared up on its own after that. It was annoying, but in the scheme of things, it wasn't that bad really.

Only since about 2015 has it been accompanied by this post-cold cough that hangs around for two or more weeks afterwards that is bloody awful and way more knackering than the main part of the cold. Assumed it was just a sign I was getting older, but from what I read on here (and what mates tell me of their experiences), it seems that everyone gets this and I was just lucky not to have experienced it until recently.


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## CXRAndy (16 Oct 2018)

I've been lucky re colds and I put this down to indoor training throughout the winter. I don't get those pesky coughs or colds so much. I will also stay clear of other folk with illness. I'm not immune to the flu and came down in January this year. I was able to start riding after 7 days off the bike, albeit zone 1 pace


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## classic33 (16 Oct 2018)

Ice cream when you do get one.


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## Skibird (17 Oct 2018)

When working in just one office and drinking green tea daily, I went without a cold for 4/5 years, which changed as soon as my role became regional and didn't have my own green to to hand, however, I found taking echinachea, for me anyway, was/is great at building up the immune system.


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## marshmella (17 Oct 2018)

I like Skol said:


> I used to get bad chesty coughs everytime I got a cold. I would be coughing for a week or more, keeping me awake, keeping my wife awake, coughing so much, so hard I would get a headache and my stomach muscles would hurt. Then I started working awful 12hr rotating shifts but began cycling to work. In fact I found cyclechat and started cycling loads, and since then I rarely get a serious cold and hardly ever do they develop into a cough. I don't know if it is improved fitness or just being out in the bad weather and pollution but these last 8-9yrs have been completely different.
> 
> I suggest you just ride your bike much more......


I can relate to this. During the 8 years i was commuting i had very few colds and the ones i did have were far less severe than they used to be. This time last year i changed jobs and wasn't able to cycle to the new place (60 mile round trip with a 7am start) and by early January i was off for a week with a hideous chest infection. I need to start cycling regularly again!


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## sleuthey (18 Oct 2018)

This works for me.


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## I like Skol (18 Oct 2018)

marshmella said:


> I can relate to this. During the 8 years i was commuting i had very few colds and the ones i did have were far less severe than they used to be. This time last year i changed jobs and wasn't able to cycle to the new place (60 mile round trip with a 7am start) and by early January i was off for a week with a hideous chest infection. I need to start cycling regularly again!


Actually, your post got me thinking. I used to drive for a living and would do approx. 40k per year in my van for 13yrs. A 2 year career break as a stay at home dad then the new job with cycle commuting sorted out the cough situation. Maybe the driving thing is the link here? Could it be that spending time in a vehicle is a particularly bad environment (even if this is alone as the only occupant)? I hardly drive now, probably only about 4kpa.


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## MikeG (18 Oct 2018)

vickster said:


> Avoid children (plague carriers)...and people who have children ........



And teachers. And families of teachers. And doctors. And families of doctors.

In fact, it's just so much simpler to avoid humans altogether. The other approach of course is to live in the Arctic or Antarctic, where viruses and other germs can't survive, but you'll have to think hard about your bike tyres, and your layering.


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## rogerzilla (21 Oct 2018)

Since taking echinacea from Oct-March and keeping santitising hand gel on my desk at work, I've gone from 4-5 colds a year to only one. Echinacea doesn't work for everyone, though.


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## rogerzilla (22 Oct 2018)

Probably true, although some wild animals seek out and eat echinacea daisies when they're ill.

The best placebo I know is putting your upturned cycling shoes under the bed after a long ride, to avoid night cramps. Never fails.


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## Nebulous (27 Oct 2018)

I've suffered from bad coughs after a cold most of my life. Cycling has helped, both to reduce the impact of the cold and the frequency of colds. I've always wondered why I always developed a 'chest infection' from a cold, but have come to the conclusion it is in fact asthma. Post-viral asthma is well recognised, even in people with no history of asthma. 

See for instance. 

https://www.verywellhealth.com/diagnosis-and-treatment-of-viral-induced-asthma-3893088


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## Globalti (28 Oct 2018)

More likely simple inflammation of the bronchia, generally known as bronchitis. Have you tried ibuprofen? It's an anti-inflammatory.


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## deptfordmarmoset (28 Oct 2018)

ColinJ said:


> If you think that placebos work, but know that they are placebos, can you get the same effect by pretending to take them?


With self reporting, definitely...


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## User76022 (13 Nov 2018)

It's going to be different for everyone and I'm no medical expert, but now that's out the way... 

I get the same. I would love to find a way to cure a chesty cough. But I have found a few things that help. 

Any form of exercise outdoors helps. I think it's simply down to the vigorous breathing of fresh air literally drying out the excess mucous. Maybe it's not that, but that's my theory. 

The obvious stuff like diet. Loads of vitamin C. And curry. Curry is awesome. 

But here's the biggy for me. Antacids. I suffer a fair bit with acid reflux. My oesophagus doesn't close properly so acid can get back up. It usually doesn't matter because it's not that bad. But if I develop a cough it becomes self perpetuating. The involuntarily action of coughing violently contracts the abdomen. The resulting burst of pressure forces gastric acid back up my throat. The fumes irritate my throat causing me to cough more. Round and round it goes. Antacids as soon as a cough develops help neutralise the acid, which then doesn't aggravate the problem.


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## SkipdiverJohn (16 Nov 2018)

Former User said:


> I really dread having colds.
> 
> So is there any effective way to reduce the chances of getting a cold?



Yes there is. Spend plenty of time outdoors and get plenty of fresh air. Avoid contact with germ-riddled disease carriers - namely schoolkids and people who work in air-conditioned offices that sneeze and cough all over the place then spread their germs to everyone they spend time in contact with.


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## ColinJ (16 Nov 2018)

User76022 said:


> But here's the biggy for me. Antacids. I suffer a fair bit with acid reflux. My oesophagus doesn't close properly so acid can get back up. It usually doesn't matter because it's not that bad. But if I develop a cough it becomes self perpetuating. The involuntarily action of coughing violently contracts the abdomen. The resulting burst of pressure forces gastric acid back up my throat. The fumes irritate my throat causing me to cough more. Round and round it goes. Antacids as soon as a cough develops help neutralise the acid, which then doesn't aggravate the problem.


My late best mate suffered from that and had to have tests every year for Barrett's oesophagus. (He died of an unrelated condition.)


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## User76022 (16 Nov 2018)

ColinJ said:


> My late best mate suffered from that and had to have tests every year for Barrett's oesophagus. (He died of an unrelated condition.)


Thankfully mine isn't bad enough to warrant yearly tests. Most of the time I have no issues with it. Mine only causes problems if I eat too much of the wrong stuff, or if I have a cold or certain other minor ailments that aggravate it.

Sorry to hear about your mate.


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## ColinJ (16 Nov 2018)

User76022 said:


> Thankfully mine isn't bad enough to warrant yearly tests. Most of the time I have no issues with it. Mine only causes problems if I eat too much of the wrong stuff, or if I have a cold or certain other minor ailments that aggravate it.


Well, good luck with it - not a nice problem to have!



User76022 said:


> Sorry to hear about your mate.


Thanks. It was a shock when he died because it was very sudden, but he had renal failure in his mid-40s so to get to 60 with a kidney donated by his dad wasn't bad going really.


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## Ming the Merciless (16 Nov 2018)

Llama blood will see you sorted.


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## david k (3 Jan 2019)

I used to get them back to back when I had thyroid problems and therefore poor immunity

Now I rarely get the, unless I'm run down, just picked one up, probably as I've been drinking and sleeping all Christmas! I've really suffered and as I couldn't sleep NYE I think I struggled to fight it off as usual and it's got hold

4 days and counting


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## HLaB (3 Jan 2019)

I hoping this annoying thing I have in my nose (its not really bunged up, just there) is the lurgy that going round and my immune system has kept it in my nose, whilst others nearby have had it go to a sore throat. I don't know if I'm right or not but I like to think by not running to the med cabinet at a small cold, means that my immune system is stronger.


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## mgs315 (8 Jan 2019)

HLaB said:


> I hoping this annoying thing I have in my nose (its not really bunged up, just there) is the lurgy that going round and my immune system has kept it in my nose, whilst others nearby have had it go to a sore throat. I don't know if I'm right or not but I like to think by not running to the med cabinet at a small cold, means that my immune system is stronger.



Aye seems pretty valid. The other half (and the lodger for that matter) are usually struck down massively with any cold most of the time yet I seem to be able to persevere with a bit of the sniffles, very rarely on the throat.

Not smoking, exercising lots and having an outdoor job/lifestyle in general seem to help.


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## 12boy (12 Jan 2019)

Part of avoiding colds is simply getting older as you have already encountered so many viruses by that time. If you have kids, by the time they get through school they have treated you to many exposures as do jobs with a lot of public contact. I rarely get colds but when on a bike in the colder months my nose runs like crazy, which I believe washes out out viruses and prevents congestion. Being fit in a cardiovascular way has to help because heart and lungs are more efficient than when sedentary. It has always been my theory that the pace of modern life is fairly stressful and perhaps I get sick because I need to get off the treadmill for a while. My wife is of sterner stuff than me and doesn't slow down much if she has a cold. If I get sick I do as little as possible and sleep as much as I can for a day or so which enables me to get better much more quickly than trying to ignore it and tough it out.


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## Nebulous (13 Jan 2019)

12boy said:


> I rarely get colds but when on a bike in the colder months my nose runs like crazy, which I believe washes out out viruses and prevents congestion. Being fit in a cardiovascular way has to help because heart and lungs are more efficient than when sedentary.


I spent my childhood with chest infections and on antibiotics. All of my adult.life I'd spend a lot of the winter coughing up rubbish and blowing thick yellow mucus out of my nose. 

After taking up cycling seriously my nose started to run. On a cold day on the bike it will run quite a bit. However the composition has changed. Instead of this thick sticky stuff I couldn't get rid of its thin and clear. My health is also much better, with shorter and less frequent colds.

I'm convinced it's cycling which has done it.


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## alicat (13 Jan 2019)

12boy said:


> Part of avoiding colds is simply getting older as you have already encountered so many viruses by that time.



This is true for me. When I was in my twenties, I seemed to have a cold every three months. Now it's more like once a year.

So, to avoid getting colds simply carry on getting older.


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