Being sick is a horrible feeling. You feel off and you do not want to do your normal activities. The common cold, flu, allergies, nausea, and upset stomach will all throw you off your game. However, there are many ways that you can feel better when sick other than letting the illness run its course.
How to Feel Better When Sick
1. Drink Clear Liquids
Drink plenty of clear liquids such as water, juice, broth, or lemon water with honey. These will help you stay hydrated. If you heat them, they will also help clear congestion. Avoid dehydrating beverages such as alcohol and caffeinated drinks.
2. Soothe Sore Throat
Having a sore throat? Mix½ teaspoon salt with 8 ounces of water and gargle. You can also use ice chips or cough drops to soothe the throat.
3. Use Nasal Drop or Spray
How to feel better when sick with stuffy nose? Use over-the-counter nasal drop or sprays to help with the stuffiness. For young kids, you can put several drops of saline water into one nostril and then use a bulb syringe the suction the drops.
4. Ease Pain
Over-the-counter medications which contain acetaminophen, ibuprofen, or aspirin are great for relieving pain. Pay special attention when giving aspirin to children due to the some life-threatening side effects it can cast on children.
5. Add Moisture to Your Home
Using a misting vaporizer or humidifier will help loosen the mucus and you’re your congestion. Make sure you change the water daily.
6. Take OTC Medications
Over-the-counter decongestants and antihistamines can aid in relieving the symptoms. Always read the label before taking the medications since some of them may contain mixed ingredients. Avoid overdose and misuse of the medications and don't give them to children younger than 5.
7. Take Ginger
How to feel better when sick in stomach? Ginger neutralizes acid in the stomach, acts as a sedative, and helps move toxins through your intestines. This is why drinking ginger ale, ginger tea, eating ginger root, or taking a ginger supplement helps stop nausea.
Here is a simple ginger tea recipe:
Ingredients
- 2 inches of ginger root
- Honey
- 2-3 cups water
Supplies
- Wax paper
- Cutting board
- Sharp knife and peeler
Directions
- Wash and peel the ginger root.
- Slice the ginger root into small pieces.
- Cover the pieces with wax paper and crush.
- Add the ginger to 2-3 cups of boiling water and continue to boil for 3-5 minutes.
- Strain into mug, add honey, and enjoy.
8. Try Acupressure
Pressing certain pressure points will help relieve symptoms of a sick stomach. Try placing pressure using your index and middle finger into the groove of the two tendons about three finger widths down from your wrist.
9. Smell Fresh Lemon
Try smelling lemon if you want to learn how to feel better when sick to stomach. Simply slicing a lemon and taking deep breaths will help get through the nausea. Take a moment to smell the lemon, and then you can add the lemon to water or tea.
10. Apply a Cool Compress
Use a cool compress, or create your own by soaking a towel in cold water and wringing it out, on the back of your neck. Do not use an ice pack as that is too cold.
11. Change Position
Sometimes, simply changing position will help you feel better when sick. Cutting off your circulation can cause dizziness and nausea. Try lying on your back with your knees bent or sitting with your back against a wall and pulling your knees up to your chest.
12. Rub Peppermint Oil
The calming effects of peppermint can relive nausea. Use a cotton swab to rub peppermint oil on your gums. But you need to avoid peppermint oil if you have GERD.
13. Follow the BRAT Diet
Eat only bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast to help calm your stomach, especially after vomiting and diarrhea. These foods can provide essential nutrients and promote recovery without causing irritation to your stomach.
14. Use Neti Pots
How to feel better when sick with an allergy? A neti pot rinses your nasal cavity and allows you to breathe better by loosening the mucus. Fill a neti pot with salt water, and then tilt your head to the side over a sink and poor salt water into one nostril until it comes out through the other.
15. Try Air Cleaners with HEPA Filters
Trap allergens in the air before they enter your respiratory system using a high-efficiency particulate air filter. This will prevent further symptoms from developing.
16. Take Herbs and Supplements
Spirulina, eyebright, and goldenseal are a few of the herbs which have been found to relieve allergy symptoms. Butterbur is a plant extract which aids in reducing the inflammation in your airways. All of these are great herbal supplements which can help relieve your worst allergy symptoms.
17. Inhale Steam
There are many methods for inhaling steam. You can take a hot shower, use a vaporizer, or hold your head over a bowl of boiling hot water. Inhaling steam helps flush the mucus out of your airway while moistening the nasal passage.
18. Add Eucalyptus Oil
Adding a few drops of eucalyptus oil to your hot water will help the steam open your nasal passage further. As a bonus, eucalyptus may help with the inflammation and bacterial infection as well.