Do you have a runny nose, sore throat, or irritating cough? Are you wondering whether you caught a cold or if you had an allergic reaction? Hopefully, after reading this, you’ll have your answer.
Let’s do a quick review of colds and allergies. A cold can be caused by many different types of viruses and germs. Your immune system fights off the virus, which you can contract through the air or by touching a contaminated object. Allergies are caused when your immune system mistakenly attacks a harmless substance, such as pollen or dust, which commonly act as allergens. While attacking the harmless substance, your body releases histamine, which is also released while fighting off a cold. This causes an overlap of symptoms for a cold and allergies.
Woman sneezing
Image Source: PeopleImages
While colds and allergies share similar symptoms, a major difference between a cold and allergies is the duration of symptoms: a cold can last from 3-14 days, while allergies can last for months or for as long as you are still exposed to the allergen. Coughing, a runny or stuffy nose, fatigue, and sneezing are all symptoms of both colds and allergies. Some symptoms specific to colds are a sore or scratchy throat, body aches, and sometimes, a fever. Symptoms usually seen for allergies include itchy and watery eyes, itchy throat, and nasal congestion.
Once you’ve figured out whether you have a cold or allergies, here are some treatments: if you have a cold, you should get a lot of rest and take decongestants or pain relievers. Decongestants relieve the swelling of nasal passages and improve airflow through the nose, and pain relievers reduce the pain from body aches and stiffness. If you have allergies, you can take antihistamines or decongestants, or use nasal sprays to relieve your symptoms. Antihistamines help by blocking the histamines released in response to the allergens. Of course, if you have allergies, you can also identify and avoid the allergen causing your allergies to reduce or eliminate your symptoms entirely.
Surely by now, you have successfully identified whether you have a cold or allergies so you can use the right treatments suggested above to get rid of your symptoms. Get well soon!
