Over the last couple of weeks pretty much everyone I know has come down with awful coughs and colds, my own little family included. Oscar had a runny nose and complained of feeling poorly for a few days, and then Stacey came down with the flu and ended up having most of the last week off of school.
As I’m sure lots of other people up and down the country are suffering the same fate, I thought I’d share 5 effective ways to treat those pesky coughs and colds that I absolutely swear by with you guys today. Some of them might sound a little strange, but why not give them a try anyway? You might be surprised by the results …
01. CUT AN ONION IN HALF AND LEAVE IN YOUR BEDROOM OVERNIGHT
If you’ve fallen ill from a cough, flu, fever or cold try placing a peeled white onion cut in half in a bowl in your bedroom overnight. It will immediately begin to absorb any bacteria and you’ll find yourself feeling better in no time. I’ve been doing this for the last couple of years now, and although the onion smell is a bit annoying to start with, the results more than make up for it. It still amazes me how this one works now. And I’ve even noticed that the more poorly a person is the more wizened and horrible the onion looks the next morning. It’s as if it has a magnet inside that pulls all the illness from living people! I’d be interested to hear if any of you guys have tried this at home and found it worked?
02. RUB VICKS ON THE BOTTOM OF YOUR FEET TO PREVENT COUGHING
It’s a well known-fact that we always cough more at night time when we’re ill. But believe it or not, if you rub Vicks Vapour Rub on to the bottom of your feet and then cover them with a pair of socks before you go to bed it will actually prevent you from coughing all night! For some reason, this only works at night time (crazy, right?) but as there’s nothing worse than lying in bed coughing, I’ll take it! Oh, and if you have any hard skin on the bottom of your feet the vapour rub will soften that right up as well. Bonus!
03. DRINK PLENTY OF HOT FLUIDS
Whenever anyone is ill in my house I’m constantly dishing out hot drinks to help relieve nasal congestion, prevent dehydration and soothe sore throats. Some of our favourites are warm milk, hot water – boiled and then left to cool, not straight from the tap, tea – sometimes with a little of the best Manuka Honey to sweeten it, and even hot chocolate.
Lemsip is also a popular choice with many of my friends, although I don’t like the taste myself. If you’re not a fan of hot drinks though, you might find them a little difficult to stomach. In which case, I’d suggest making sure you stay hydrated by drinking plenty of cold water throughout the day.
04. GARGLE WITH SALT WATER 4 TIMES A DAY
Now, I have to admit that this is my least favourite way of treating a pesky cough or a sore throat. But it does work. All you have to do is dissolve half a teaspoon of salt in a glass full of warm water, gargle for a few seconds and then spit it out. It’s nasty but it will bring some much-needed relief from your symptoms for a few hours. I rarely use this method, but when I do I do it 4 times a day for maximum impact.
05. GET PLENTY OF SLEEP
And finally, try to get plenty of sleep when you’re feeling under the weather. I always find that I get well quicker if I can just sleep while I’m ill. If you’re someone who finds it hard to nod off though then I highly recommend giving a lavender scented pillow mist a try to help you relax. My favourite is the Deep Sleep Pillow Spray from This Works. It really is amazing stuff!
If you find you’ve got a blocked nose and it’s preventing you from sleeping, you could also try a nasal spray like these here: https://serp.co/best/nasal-spray/. Nasal sprays are liquid medicines you spray into your nose. They are used to help relieve congestion in your nose and are really effective.
And there you have it – 5 effective ways to treat pesky coughs and colds.
Do you use any of these methods? Or do you have other ways of treating them?
Let me know in the comments below!
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Ugh I hate winter because of this crapp. Thanks for the helpful information!
I’ve heard the vicks one, although I’m yet to try it, but I didn’t know about the onion trick x
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The Vicks one is really popular! I was really skeptical about the onion trick but it really works so I use it all the time now. Although I sometimes wake up and wonder what the weird smell is :p
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I hate colds, especially when i have trouble sleeping when i got one. Thanks for the tips here x
I hear ya! There’s nothing worse than not being able to sleep because you’ve got a cough and cold. Urgh!x
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Wow I have never heard of the onion trick! Does that really work? Well, I’m going to have to try it and find out for myself!
It does! It’s a smelly way of getting better without the need for over-the-counter medicine, but I find it works so well that I don’t mind! 🙂
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Well I never knew that about the onion – I just thought it was good for getting rid of paint fumes. I will have to buy one now as my husband has been suffering for weeks and he hasn’t had time to sleep it off like I would.
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You’ll have to let me know if it works for him! 🙂
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I hate colds, it’s even worse when my kids get them. I only found out about the Vicks on the soles of feet a few years ago. Can’t believe I didn’t know about this, it’s a great way of ensuring a good night sleep with a cold.
I have a cold at the moment so this is really useful! I definitely think I need to get more sleep!
I hate this time of year as there are so many bugs about! I’d heard about onions before but have never tried it myself, I’ll make sure I give it a go next time I need it. I swear by hot ribena and plenty of sleep if I’m not well.
I also wrote a post about natural remedies for flu but definitely resting is a very important one! x
I’d heard of the first two before, but I can’t work out how it’s supposed to work, especially the rubbing vic on your feet part! 🙂
It’s weird, but it really works! I read earlier that cutting an onion in half and then securing them to the bottom of your feet with socks works wonders too. I just can’t seem to bring myself to try that one though! Lol x
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I hate to feel sick!! This post is awesome and so useful, i definitely try the onion trick… I hope it works 🙂 Thanks for sharing with us
Great tips, I have been trying to stay away from everyone who is ill, so not to catch the colds that are going around. I never though of rubbing Vicks onto the bottom of your feet, I will remember this one thanks 🙂
how cool i do practice most of those tips in my life to fight cold! keeping half cut onion is a first and i will try it for sure!
I have heard of all of these tips and definitely can vouch for most of these.
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I love these tips. There has been colds in this house since November, so I will give anything a go at this point. Trying the onion thing tonight!
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Did it work at all Zena? I usually notice a small difference after the first night and then after the second night I start feeling much more like my usual self 🙂 X
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We always do the vicks on the feet trick, it seems to work! Hadnt heard of the onion thought. I might give it a go although I imagine it doesn’t smell great!
I agree sleep does help which is partly why I have a cold so much of the time and that is due to my lack of sleep!
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Vicks on feet works a charm! We can vouch for that, we add socks too. Might try the onion idea! 😉 Great tips
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Great tips, helpful, I didn’t know about onion 🙂 but i will remember this . Thanks for sharing.
Great tips! Although vicks on tired feet is one I’ve never heard of! Haha I will try it next time. Steam as well helps clear congestion! Ree love30
I have heard about using onions on your feet but have never tried it. However, I love using Vick’s. It is so very soothing.
This is exactly what i needed right now. That the season is changing from winter to summer in India, and everyone in family seems to be catching cough and cold. I love to go for home remedies than medicines
Currently, have a cold coming on so will defiantly try some of this out.
I’ve heard so many people saying the onion in half trick works! xo
I tried the Vicks on the bottom of the feet and it didn’t work 🙁 – I found ginger tea works well though
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I haven’t had my winter cold yet (I’ve ended up with the dreaded sickness bug instead!) but I will be using some of these if it does come along!
Thank you, Louise, for these very useful post. I do travel a lot, and the weather of many places worries me a bit. I hate winter:( these tips helps me to make my plan for weather sharper.
I tried to find Vicks a few weeks ago but no one had it.
Very great solutions to try. Will surely use next time. Thanks for sharing!!
I didnt know about the onion thing! I will be keeping that in mind for the future (: With this weather constantly changing these tips are always needed.
Good to know, I am always looking for new ways to get rid of a cold. More of the non prescription and medicine ways I think are the best.