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You may ask to yourself frequently about what do you get between flu and cold when you wake up coughing or sneezing. And even some people have opinion that there is no difference between flu and cold! You can get the answer clearly if you can distinguish the cold symptoms and flu symptoms! Moreover, this is also important and helpful for you to find the best treatment .
Flu symptoms are something that can be worst than cold symptoms for your body, because they can make your body get quite ill for several days or for weeks, and even in several cases can lead to a serious health problem (like hospitalizations & pneumonia).
On the other hand, cold symptoms are something that just a milder respiratory illness that only can make you feel not too good for a few days and even you may still be able to do your activities normally.
So, what are the common symptoms of flu?
Like mentioned before, the flu can give the worst effect to the body therefore the symptoms are also more severe, especially if compared with the cold symptoms. Moreover the flu signs also come more quickly. Some of those common signs include cough, congestion, headache, muscle aches & soreness, fever and sore throat. Even they can be diarrhea & vomiting for swine flu.
Generally, you may get more headache, general aches pains, cough, and fatigue weakness than if you have cold symptoms. You may also get higher fever and feel extreme exhaustion. Over 2-5 days, most of the flu symptoms gradually improve, but sometimes it is common to feel run down for 7 days (a week) or more!
Pneumonia is one of the common complications with flu, which can attack individuals with heart or lung problems, elderly or even young people. One of the common signs of pneumonia is the shortness of breath, therefore if you feel this sign then go to see your doctor and make sure she/he knows it. Another symptom of pneumonia is temporary fever that can be recurrence after having been gone for 1-2 days.
Flu is caused by flu viruses that can spread and enter into the body through the mucous membranes of mouth, eyes and nose. Therefore, keep clean your hands and if unnecessary avoid using your hands to touch your mouth, nose or eyes. And avoid close contact directly with individuals with flu symptoms. Read also flu-fighting tips!
Then, how about with the cold symptoms?
Sore throat is the common first sign, which often goes away after 1-2 days. The next signs are nasal symptom, congestion & runny nose, and then after 4-5 days you may get a cough. You may also get fever but it is more likely with lower temperature. Generally, you will get more often of stuffy nose, sneezing, and sore throat than when you have flu symptoms.
You usually will need about a week to quit from cold completely. You are usually contagious in the first 3 days, therefore much better to stay at home if you can in order to get adequate rest and avoid close contact with another!
If you still feel bad after a week, you may need to consume antibiotics (contact your doctor for more detailed information), because you may get a bacterial infection. In addition, you may also get a sinus infection if after a week the symptoms don’t seem to be getting better (once again go to see your doctor to get more advices and detailed information).
