{"id":6444,"date":"2019-05-07T02:56:26","date_gmt":"2019-05-07T02:56:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.today\/?p=6444"},"modified":"2021-04-05T17:10:04","modified_gmt":"2021-04-05T17:10:04","slug":"14-typical-symptoms-of-upper-respiratory-infection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.today\/14-typical-symptoms-of-upper-respiratory-infection\/","title":{"rendered":"14 Typical Symptoms of Upper Respiratory Infection"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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A URI, otherwise known as the common cold, can affect many people in many different ways, however, there are some typical symptoms that are common from one person to the next. The average adult can expect to come down with an upper respiratory infection up to three times a year, and so understanding and recognizing the symptoms can be useful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recognition that someone is suffering from a URI can save time and money spent going back and forth to a medical professional when a blend of home remedies and over the counter medications would be enough to help relieve the symptoms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In order to try and avoid this type of infection, best practice in terms of personal hygiene should be adopted where possible, and it is important to teach children how important it is to try and not spread germs. Handy little rhymes such as \u2018coughs and sneezes spread diseases\u2019 can be useful reminders for young children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On to the typical symptoms\u2026 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

1.     Coughing<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lingering cough <\/a>that doesn\u2019t go for up to 14 days can be a typical symptom of a URI. These coughs are usually, but not always worse at nighttime, whilst the severity of the cough can vary from one person to another. There are people who may be lucky enough to experience little more than a tickle of a cough, whilst others may suffer significantly from one could be described as a coughing fit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coughs that are typical symptoms of upper respiratory infections will eventually go away on their own, however, home remedies and over the counter medicines can be effective in keeping them at bay, which is particularly important if a person is planning to continue working or going to school during the course of the illness. As any family member will confirm in no uncertain terms, the sound of someone persistently coughing is annoying at best and even infuriating at times. Unfortunately, this is part and parcel of a URI and can\u2019t be helped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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2.     Discomfort in the nasal passages<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes referred to as a \u2018sneeze but can\u2019t sneeze\u2019 sensation, discomfort in the nasal passages is really no fun for the person suffering. The uncomfortable feeling is likely the result of the capillaries changing within the nostrils <\/a>and further up into the nasal passage. It could also be caused by the excessive production of mucus or the increased sensitivity that comes with a URI. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is important to try and sneeze whenever you feel like it, as it\u2019s always better out than in, but it is equally important that a person shouldn\u2019t try and force a sneeze or blow their nose too hard. Aggravating and irritating the nasal passages by trying to give them too much encouragement can cause further irritation and discomfort, soreness and even result in nosebleeds. All of this amounts to making discomfort in the nasal passages a particularly unpleasant but very typical symptom of an upper respiratory infection. That\u2019s just the way it goes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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3.     Mild fever<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Coming down with a mild fever <\/a>can also be a typical symptom of an upper respiratory infection. These fevers are never normally too severe but are enough to take someone off their feet for a few days. The feeling that one experiences when suffering from fever can be altogether a little confusing, given that whilst the body is shivering and the teeth are chattering, the mercury is soaring through the roof. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It doesn’t seem humane at all for the infected person, that everyone around them is advising them to keep cool, despite the fact that they insist that they’re freezing. It’s a tough call to have made for parents especially, when their little ones are crying about being too cold, and the best way of treating them is to keep them cool at all costs. Over the counter fever reducers work well but if all else fails, give them some ice cream.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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4.     Excess mucus<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Excess mucus <\/a>is a pretty gross, but very typical symptom of a URI. The trademark snotty nose is what most medicine companies and their associated brands use to pull in the sales. Everyone can relate to a snotty nose after all. The mucus-producing processes within the nose are set into overdrive and before long, a person suffering from a URI ceases to be human transforms into a snot making machine instead. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s important for people to remember to blow their noses properly when they’re full of snot, as judging by what normally ends up on the inside of the tissue, there aren’t many people who would like to sniff all that green stuff right back up into their heads. For adults, it’s easier to manage, but for children, the demands of play and their inherent thirst for learning, meaning that they can sometimes wander about with a snot trail from nose to lip. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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5.     Pain or pressure behind the face<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A build-up of pressure <\/a>behind the face is a fairly common symptom of a URI. This pressure can cause pain to be experienced from the top of the forehead right down into the cheeks. The sinuses are blocked here and the pressure is usually indicated by a tingling \u2018pins and needles\u2019 like pain, one which is bearable but extremely annoying. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The frustrating thing about pain and pressure that occurs behind the face is that it can\u2019t be relieved easily, like a blocked nose can be relieved by blowing. Often, this pressure is experienced right from on the onset of the infection, not clearing up until the last of the URI has left the symptoms. You\u2019re either someone who suffers from this pressure build-up or not, meaning that if you don\u2019t usually experience this symptom as part of a URI, it\u2019s unlikely that you will at any stage in the future. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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6.     Headaches<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Headaches <\/a>are no fun whenever you fall victim to one. Whether it\u2019s the result of a heavy night\u2019s drinking or after a bump to the head playing sports, there is little worse than a pounding head. The fact that a headache is a very common symptom of an upper respiratory infection then makes for an even more miserable experience than the person was already enduring. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Headaches may come and go on their own during a URI, but they can be encouraged along the way by ensuring the infected person, whether it’s you or someone you\u2019re caring for, stays hydrated as much as possible. Good old fashioned water is the best thing to drink, as that\u2019s what the body craves most of all to fend off the effects of dehydration, but any liquids including isotonic sports drinks and hot beverages will help to ensure dehydration doesn\u2019t become yet another problem that a person with a URI would have to face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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7.     Scratchy or sore throat<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Sore throats<\/a> are one of the most commonly associated symptoms that come along as part of the package with a URI. There\u2019s usually no getting around the fact that at some stage during the course of the infection, a person is likely to wake up after a night’s sleep feeling as though they\u2019ve been gargling with a broth of lava and piranhas. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the counter medications will help to ease the symptoms, but as with most of these associated complaints, the sore throat will have to run its own course and will only leave the bearer when it’s good and ready to. You have to ride the storm with a URI and try to make it as bearable as possible. Gargling with salt water or attempting to lubricate and moisten the back of the throat with hot steam, either from the shower or the bath, are a few ways to try and remedy the sandpaper feeling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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8.     Bad breath<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Breath like a dog is an unfortunate symptom of an upper respiratory infection. It won\u2019t cause the person affected too many issues, it is everyone they spend their time with who suffers the most from this symptom. Whether it’s as a result of being a lot more inactive, or due to the virus itself, bad breath is a common symptom that many people with an upper respiratory infection experience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The answer is to ensure mints and chewing gum are kept within easy reach, obviously on top of following a stringent <\/a>and strict oral care regime. It\u2019s easy to neglect things like brushing your teeth when you\u2019re spending the day lounging around in pajamas, feeling sorry for yourself, however the significant other in your life, as well as your family and friends, will thank you for considering the impact that your URI is having on them as well. Brush your teeth!<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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