The common cold is unfortunately far too common for comfort. Here are tips on preventing and treating a cold.

Avoid contact with people who have a cold

If you do come in contact with someone who is suffering from the common cold, make sure they don't cough or sneeze in your direction, and wash your hands immediately afterwards to kill any cold viruses which may have been transported to your hands.

Avoid touching your nose and eyes

A person normally develops a cold when the cold virus enters the nasal passage. So if you come in contact with a person who has a cold, the virus may get transported to your hands or person. Then when you touch your nose the virus gets transmitted to your nasal passage. Similarly when you rub your eyes, the virus easily enters your nasal passage through the tear duct. So if you have a tendency to touch your nose or rub your eyes often, you are likely to get infected with the cold virus as well.

Just because you are infected with the cold virus however does not mean that you will show the symptoms. So a person may be infected but may not have a running nose or may not sneeze. However, he may transmit the infection to you, and you may develop the symptoms. This is why it is always a good idea to keep hands away from your face at all times.

Avoid blowing your nose

If you have a cold, you should avoid blowing your nose. Easier said than done, but it is the most effective and painless way to get rid of your cold as soon as possible. This is because every time you blow your nose, nasal secretions get thrust into the sinus cavity. The secretions contain bacteria, viruses and various other germs, all of which are pushed further into your sinuses and into your system leading to inflammation and a worsening of your cold. So no matter how tempting it may be to blow your nose, no matter how much the mucus is tickling your nasal passage, avoid blowing your nose. It is better to hold a tissue under your nose to catch any runny mucous.

Take cold medication

Although many prefer suffering through the cold to taking medication, medication may actually be a good option. This is because when you take a tablet that dries out your nasal passage and stops your nose from running, you are less likely to blow your nose. This prevents sinus problems at a later stage. If you are able to prevent blowing your nose, you need not take medication.

Drink hot liquids

As soon as you feel a cold coming on, drink a cup of hot ginger tea. This warms up your system and helps alleviate the symptoms. Keep drinking ginger tea through the day, and drink a lot of warm water as well. Your system gets dehydrated because of the mucous secretion, which is why you should drink plenty of water.

Take Vitamin C

Take two Vitamin C tablets twice a day, after meals. An infusion of Vitamin C will help combat a cold.

Try home remedies

Home remedies really help as well. Even though your cold may last for just as long, these remedies provide relief. In some cases if the remedy is administered soon enough, it may arrest the cold.