How long does a cold last?

Duration | Risk factors | Recovery and treatment | When to see a doctor

If you’ve ever had a stuffy nose, runny nose, or fever, you may have had a common cold. Colds are a type of viral infection of the upper respiratory tract, including the nose and throat. The common cold is called that for a good reason. More than 2 million people in the United States will get a cold each year, making it one of the most frequent illnesses. Those with weakened immune systems, such as pregnant women and children, are especially prone to catching a cold. Let’s look at some cold facts like common symptoms, how long they last, the best recovery and treatment for them, those with risk factors for contracting the virus, and how to know when it’s time to see a doctor.  

How long does a cold last? 

Many different cold viruses exist, but rhinoviruses are the most common. Other cold-causing viruses include respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), adenovirus, and human metapneumovirus, among others. The amount of time someone has a cold will depend on their overall health and age. Generally speaking, most colds will go away on their own within a couple of weeks in healthy people. Infants, younger children, and seniors are more prone to catching colds than young and middle-aged adults.  

How long does a cold last in adults? 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a cold can last anywhere from seven to 10 days for healthy adults. The average adult will get about two to three colds per year, but they could get more or less depending on their immune system’s strength. It’s not uncommon for young children to get eight to 10 colds per year, often spreading the virus to family members. Most people in the United States get colds in the winter and spring which is the corresponding cold season. 

After a brief incubation period of one to three days, there are early, peak, and late symptoms correlating to expected stages of a cold, Identification of these first symptoms is the best way to identify a common cold is coming on, and are useful to know so you can tell whether your cold is going away or getting worse. 

• Early stage: The first signs of a cold are a sore throat, headache, chilliness, lethargy, and body aches. These symptoms can last one or two days before symptoms start to get worse.  
• Peak: Runny nose or congestion, cough, sneezing, and low-grade fever can last anywhere from a few days to a whole week. 
• Late stage: Fatigue, cough, congestion or a runny nose are late-stage symptoms of the cold typically happen around days eight to 10. 

How long does a cold last in children?

Children get more colds than adults because their immune responses aren’t mature enough to fight off germs. Add in attendance at daycares or schools where the spread of cold viruses can occur rapidly due to close physical and hand-to-hand contact with high-touch surfaces in play areas, it’s no wonder these daily routines encourage the transmission of different cold viruses. Commonsense precautions can help limit the spread and should be included in child care center’s policies to limit contact that aids transmission, such as enforcing good hand hygiene practices. Examples include use of alcohol-based hand sanitizers by staff, limiting sharing of items like cups by requiring each child to use their own glass or providing disposable cups, or policies to frequently wash children’s toys. The best practice is for sick children to stay home to recuperate.   

• Early stage: A runny nose with clear liquid, watery eyes, fussiness, trouble sleeping, and sore throat will typically last one or two days.   
• Peak: Kids can experience a hacking cough, low-grade fever, chills, runny nose, and sneezes for several days to just over a week. 
• Late stage: A cough, congestion, or yellow and green colored mucus are late-stage symptoms of the cold. Kids might feel fatigued and become extra fussy. Late-stage cold symptoms start eight to 10 days into a cold.

Although it’s rare, the common cold can cause severe symptoms and complications. If your cold lasts longer than 10 days, you may have something else, such as an ear infection, strep throat, sinus infection, acute bronchitis, or pneumonia. These conditions, which can be viral or secondary bacterial infections necessitating antibiotics, will require medical attention from a healthcare professional. It’s important to determine if symptoms are associated with a cold virus or something more, as antibiotics will not work against viruses and won’t assist with resolution. 

Cold risk factors

The good news-especially for those of us living in colder climates- is that despite popular belief, exposure to cold weather does not increase the risk of contracting the types of viruses associated with the common cold. Risk factors that increase the chance of contracting a cold include:

• Proximity to someone with a cold. Close contact with someone with a cold, such as family members, increases the likelihood of spread. The virus can be spread indirectly through aerosolized respiratory droplets, as well as directly, like nasal discharge with person-to-person contact or touching a surface with a respiratory virus on it and then touching your mouth or nose. 
• Regional cold season. In the United States, the cold season is usually late fall through early spring, although colds can occur anytime. While science does not support that colder weather increases the risk of catching a cold, the reason the cold season correlates to cooler weather has more to do with other factors-like people spending more time indoors and in closer proximity to one another than the actual temperature outside. The low humidity in cold weather may also contribute to increased colds during colder months since the nasal passages become dry and more susceptible to the introduction of viral infections.
• Extremes of age. Younger children, especially babies and the elderly, are more likely to contract a viral infection like a cold than older children and younger adults. At the youngest ages, they simply haven’t developed a strong enough immune system against the various viruses that can cause a cold. Older adults often suffer from other health conditions which reduce their ability to effectively ward off infections, in addition to an expected decrease in immune function that comes with age. On the flip side, and what should be monitored is the aggravation of underlying conditions when an older person has a cold.
• Immunocompromised status. Patients with a compromised immune system, be it from medications or other health conditions, do not have the reserve to effectively ward off infections like viral colds. 
• Chronic lung conditions. Patients with lung diseases, like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and asthma, or who smoke, are at increased risk of catching viral illnesses like the common cold. Some of this may have to do with the impairment of the immune system, but structural changes within the respiratory tract also play a role. 

Cold recovery and treatment

You can help your cold go away faster if you know how to treat it. Here are some home remedies to treat a cold without medicine: 

1. 1. Stay hydrated. Drinking plenty of fluids will prevent dehydration and help loosen up sinus congestion. Water, herbal tea with lemon, bone broth, and juices are great options for staying hydrated. 
   2. Use a humidifier. Running a humidifier while experiencing a cold will help keep your airways moisturized, soothing sore throats, and coughs. 
   3. Get enough rest. Getting sufficient sleep and staying rested will help the body heal. Overexertion and heavy exercise can put extra stress on the immune system during a cold. 
   4. Use a neti pot. When used correctly and safely, neti pots can help relieve stuffy noses and congestion. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) outlines safety practices here.
   5. Gargle with salt water. A saltwater gargle can alleviate a scratchy throat caused by a postnasal drip.
   6. Eat healthy foods. Eating an anti-inflammatory diet while experiencing a cold may help boost the immune system. Leafy greens, vegetables, fruits, bone broth, and salmon are all anti-inflammatory foods that would be great to eat while sick. 
   7. Take Echinacea. Herbal remedies like echinacea may reduce the duration of the common cold by up to a day and could reduce the chances of catching a cold. Echinacea is available at most health food stores.  
   8. Take vitamin C. Some research suggests that vitamin C can shorten the duration of cold symptoms. Eat vitamin C-rich foods or take supplements to strengthen your immune system. 
   9. Zinc. Zinc supplements, such as zinc lozenges, can reduce the duration and severity of the cold. It’s critical, however, that they’re initiated as early as possible to demonstrate any benefit. Data is also limited, so any definitive recommendation on dose, formulation, and duration is difficult to provide.
   10. Honey. Honey can be soothing for sore throats and possibly minimize coughing related to the common cold. However, data is limited and honey should never be given to children less than 12 months of age given risk of cross-contamination with certain bacteria. 

If you aren’t getting any relief from your symptoms with self-care, over-the-counter (OTC) cold medications might help. Here are some of the most common cold medicines that work best for treating colds: 

• Pain relievers like ibuprofen and acetaminophen (Tylenol) can help with cold symptoms like achiness, and they can also help reduce fevers. Note: A rare side effect called Reye’s syndrome can occur when treating viral infections in children with aspirin.
• Antihistamines are a type of allergy medicine that helps stop runny noses. Older antihistamines (chlorpheniramine and brompheniramine) may be more effective for cold symptoms than newer antihistamines such as Allegra or Claritin. Note: Drowsiness is the primary side effect of first-generation antihistamines.
• Decongestants and expectorants like Sudafed and Mucinex are medications that relieve nasal and chest congestion. Many decongestants must be used with caution in those with high blood pressure, so make sure to discuss the best options with a medical professional, like a pharmacist.
• Cough medicines like Robitussin help suppress coughs and can make it easier to sleep at night. 
• Lozenges and cough drops can help soothe sore throats or suppress a cough. 
• Nasal sprays are available over the counter for symptom relief of nasal congestion and stuffiness. Difficulty breathing and sleeping at night is a problem many people with colds have, and saline nasal sprays may make this easier. 

RELATED: The best cough medicine

When to see a healthcare provider for a cold

Even though most common colds will resolve on their own, they sometimes require medical attention. “If you are running a high fever, are short of breath, wheezing, bringing up green [phlegm] all day—you should see your doctor,” says Susan Besser, MD, a family medicine physician at Mercy Personal Physicians at Overlea. “If you have any questions or concerns, call your doctor and speak with them. We are here to help, even if sometimes the help is just advice (not everything needs a prescription).”  

If you have any of those symptoms, it’s best to see a healthcare provider. If you have a cold plus an underlying medical condition, it may also be a good idea to see your primary care provider. In rare circumstances, cold viruses can lead to secondary upper respiratory infections like sinus or middle ear infections, which may be bacterial and require antibiotics. A cold accompanied by sinus pain, swollen glands, or a mucus-producing cough could indicate a secondary infection that requires medical attention. Similar symptoms exist between viral infections. The flu, caused by the influenza virus, shouldn’t be ignored or brushed off as the common cold as it may warrant antiviral therapy. 

During this global pandemic, it’s important to know the difference between common cold symptoms, flu symptoms, and COVID-19. If you have trouble breathing, fatigue, loss of appetite, a cough, or a high temperature, it may be a good idea to contact your healthcare provider and get tested for coronavirus. Avoiding close contact with sick people, wearing a mask, and using hand sanitizer are good ways to reduce your chances of getting any viral infection, including cold virus or COVID-19.