- Rest. As much as you possibly can. Easier said than done if you already have an older child to look after. Or a job to do. Or a house to run. But try and take whatever help you can get and pack yourself off to bed as much as possible.
- Stay hydrated. My husband always tells me 'a pint of water, on the hour, every hour' when I'm ill and this is really good advice to follow when you're fighting a cold. If you find drinking lots of water a struggle then try and knock back some orange juice instead to keep hydrated and boost your vitamin C intake.
- To help sooth a sore throat you can try making a gargle out of 1 teaspoon of salt in a cup of hot water. Or, and this is a much more appealing option to me, you can make a soothing drink with a tablespoon of honey and about 2-3 tablespoons of lemon juice stirred into a mug of hot water.
- The Common Cold centre at the University of Cardiff have found that a mug of hot, fruit cordial does actually help sooth sore throats and other cold symptoms. Good excuse to break out the Ribena!
- They also recommend eating a hot curry as it makes sure you salivate and reduces coughs and eases sore throats. So if you're feeling up to eating this might be worth a try!
- To help with a stuffy nose you can try filling a bowl with hot water and leaning over it with a towel over your head so you can inhale the steam.
- Having trouble sleeping at night? Then you can put some vapour rub on the soles of your feet, pop some socks on et voila! Apparently this can help ease a cough during the night and is a great trick to use on babies too!
- My personal go-to remedy is to have a bottle of lucozade on the go, especially if you have to try and carry on with your day.
- Rest some more. If none of the above do anything much to make you feel better then, if at all possible, give in to it. Get someone to make you a cup of tea or honey and lemon, grab some magazines and something non-taxing to watch on dvd and retreat to bed.