{"id":6451,"date":"2019-05-07T02:59:37","date_gmt":"2019-05-07T02:59:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.today\/?p=6451"},"modified":"2021-04-05T17:18:45","modified_gmt":"2021-04-05T17:18:45","slug":"15-useful-tips-to-overcome-upper-respiratory-infection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.today\/15-useful-tips-to-overcome-upper-respiratory-infection\/","title":{"rendered":"15 Useful Tips to Overcome Upper Respiratory Infection"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The term used to describe acute infections of the head and the chest, upper respiratory infections can be nasty things to endure. They generally hit the nose, throat, and airways the hardest, but can cause havoc for the sinuses and ears as well. They usually stick around for a lot longer than people would like and over the counter medications vary in their effectiveness. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The worst symptoms are usually done by the end of the first 3 to 5 days, where starts a slow but steady improvement towards full recovery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most of these infections have resolved on their own after a period of up to two weeks, even without treatment, and given that antibiotics only work on bacterial infections, having a few tricks up your sleeve to overcome URIs are always going to come in handy. Fortunately, as you\u2019ll see here, there are plenty of ways to help someone alleviate their symptoms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1.     Be familiar with ingredients<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This is something that hardly anyone does, but absolutely everyone should do. Being familiar with the ingredients in your over the counter medications <\/a>just not just means recognizing the brand packaging or singing the radio jingle for a particular brand of cough medicine. This is important to take note. You should be crystal clear when it comes to understanding each and every ingredient in each and every medication you put into your body. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Firstly, this will help you treat your symptoms effectively, as there’s no point introducing chemicals into your system if they won’t do a thing for whatever is ailing you. And secondly, your body is a temple! You need to study those bottles and pillboxes like vegan studies the entr\u00e9e menu. Meticulously and with a fine-tooth comb. Know what you’re putting into your body. It’s up to you to keep a check on that stuff, so take it seriously.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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2.     Watch for ingredient overlap<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This is essentially an extension of the above point about knowing what you\u2019re putting in your body. Not that anyone wants to go on about something over and over again but, if you don’t read the ingredients carefully, you may very well end up with something called ingredient overlap, whereby you unknowingly (or ignorantly) pollute your body with too much of a particular ingredient at the same time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So you know what ballpark you’re talking about, ingredients like ibuprofen<\/a>, pseudoephedrine, and acetaminophen have a habit of popping up in a wide range of different over the counter medications. You want to make sure you\u2019re not ingesting too much of the same thing, as you could end up unintentionally tipping the scales to making yourself feel worse, as opposed to feeling better. May we draw your attention to point number one again at this point, be familiar with the ingredients in your medication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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3.     Be careful<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to pills and potions, medications and miracles, you can\u2019t be too careful, ever. There a few golden rules to follow to turn this tip into a brilliant tool in the fight to overcome even the most stubborn of upper respiratory infections<\/a>. Here goes. Make sure you don\u2019t consume too much of a particular ingredient, now where have we heard that before? Secondly, it is of paramount importance that you only take any medications for the recommended or prescribed period of time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Number three is simple. If you want to recover from a URI quickly, listen to the advice given to you by your healthcare provider. If you have any underlying medical conditions, following instructions and observing any guidance is even more pertinent. Take it all on board. What it comes down to, as the section heading suggests, is being careful. Resting, recovering and responding to the warnings your body is giving to you, will all contribute to a full and speedy recovery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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4.     Blow your nose often<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As a kid, you\u2019re forever being told by your parents to go and blow your nose. It\u2019s a mantra that\u2019s repeated the world over in any number of languages. The truth is, no one wants to see snot dripping down anyone else\u2019s face. To help yourself and anyone you care for overcome an upper respiratory infection, you need to know how to blow your nose the right way, and then it needs to happen, often. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blowing, as opposed to sniffing up the mucus<\/a> is very important, as the old adage about it being \u2018better out than in\u2019 is certainly true. When you\u2019re well aware of what a tissue looks like after a good blow, why would you want to bring that stuff back up inside your head? If you blow too hard though, you risk causing an earache due to the pressure, so here\u2019s how to do it properly. Press one finger over one nostril whilst blowing gently out of the other nostril. There, easy. Now make sure you wash your hands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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5.     Stay rested<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Getting a URI is basically your body\u2019s way of saying that it\u2019s had enough. It\u2019s waving a white flag and throwing the towel in, but in today\u2019s age of get up and go, a lot of people choose to try and power through their poor state. It isn’t fair on your body to try and force it to fight on when its already depleted and running low on reserves. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes you just have to admit defeat, and resting is the best way to promote recovery. You owe it to yourself to take a break when you\u2019re feeling weak, so do it. In the early stages of a URI, resting allows your body to direct all of its efforts and energy toward the immune system<\/a> and the battle that it’s engaged in with the virus. Lying down under a blanket, and even getting a little extra sleep, will help your body refuel and rearm itself for the war ahead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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6.     Gargle<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Aside from making a hilarious sound when you do it properly, gargling can actually help you overcome a URI. The act of gargling lubricates and moistens a sore throat<\/a>, which will bring you some temporary relief from the scratchy and sore symptoms you’ve been enduring. Adding a little bit of salt to the solution will help too. If you’re looking to reduce that annoying tickle in your throat, you could try and gargle with tea, which will help to tighten up the membranes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Good old fashioned lemon and honey, mixed together in some hot water will also make a great gargle solution, but if you’re an adult and you’ve got some whiskey lying around, you might want to save the honey and the lemon to prepare yourself an old fashioned hot toddy. It would be a waste of good whiskey to gargle it and then spit it out, so maybe salt and warm water is the best combination to gargle with. Moisten, dampen and lubricate that throat to alleviate your symptoms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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7.     Drink hot liquids<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Drinking hot liquids can act to relieve nasal congestion<\/a>, as well as preventing dehydration in the process. The third benefit from drinking hot liquids is that they can soothe the inflammation at the back of your throat. All of these advantages are secondary of course to the fact that you get to drink your favorite hot beverage as much as you like. If you\u2019ve got someone looking after you, try ringing a bell every time your green tea is running on empty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just remember to hide that bell when you\u2019re better, and make sure they can\u2019t find it when they get sick. Children love a good cup of hot cocoa, but maybe the best hot drink to serve them would be a dissolved solution of honey and lemon in hot water. That way they won\u2019t be consuming so much by way of chocolate. For grown-ups, a blend of hot water, honey, lemon and a dash of whiskey makes for an old fashioned hot toddy that will remedy most URIs as well as anything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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8.     Take a steamy shower<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re a fan of a steamy shower, you won\u2019t need any encouragement to go and take one, but it may surprise you that this is actually a really good way to free up your nasal canals with the steamy moisturizing properties it can provide. If you can get to the spa, get in the steam room and stay there for as long as you can manage, but you may want to warn other people that you\u2019re not 100%. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

No one can tell in the mists of the steam <\/a>room though, so you might get away with it. In all seriousness though, it\u2019s probably best to stay at home to prevent infecting the rest of the world with your terrible illness, not that you\u2019re being dramatic. When you\u2019re feeling clogged up and dizzy from an upper respiratory infection, there are few better feelings than the relief afforded by a long, hot shower. If baths are more your thing, the good news is that they work too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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