The Flu And What To Do--Or, Middle Of The Night Home Remedies For Alleviating Cold Flu Symptoms When You Can't Sleep And All Seems Lost

Cold flus suck--especially at night when all the mucus drains down into your throat, your nose dries and plugs up, and your bladder is on over-drive eliminating all the hot and cold liquids you drank before turning in. Last night was one of those nights for me--couldn't sleep, my mind was ruminating, and with little cold medication in the house, I wanted to reach for some home-made remedies, but my phone was not by my side. It's in those nocturnal moments when all you can think about is the hellish day you'll have at work the following morning--for of all coincidences, you have that major meeting that's been on high-alert on your calendar for the past month--and desiring nothing more than a simple panacea that will open your sinuses, lift the migraine from your eyes, and shut down the ruminating mind. While this is not a post on ruminating minds, it does lay out a few home-grown flu remedies that may quicken your mind when you're in the loneliest of loneliness--and it's only 1:30am.

1. Blow your nose often: This will clear away mucus in your sinuses and assist breathing, rather than snuffling all that crud back into your throat where it can build and lead to coughing and earaches. Place a finger over one nostril--holding of course a tissue, handkerchief (for those who still carry them around) or large piece of toilet paper--and blow gently through the other, repeating with the alternate nostril until satisfied. A little Vaseline or even lotion applied around the openings of the nostril, down to where the nostrils and upper-lip meet, can prevent the inevitable dryness and itchiness blowing your nose 50 times will cause. 

2. Rest: The art of resting and napping is indeed a lost one in our hyper-hectic world (though indeed it is making a bit of a comeback), where productivity is more about looking the part than doing all it takes to be at one's optimal level of performance--including daily naps. Nevertheless, when you come down with a flu, don't try to man or woman up by keeping the internal rat-race going--no. Instead, milk your flu for all it's worth--yes you read this straight! When you have the flu, your body is expending a lot of energy in a battle against the virus, which is why you feel so fatigued. And we all know there will be no pity extended to us at work when we're foolish enough to go when we're in the throes of a flu--in fact, most people will be annoyed that you're coughing all over them and spreading germs everywhere. Do yourself and humanity a favour--rest.

3. Take a steamy shower: Even though you're in the fetal position in bed, in pyjamas you've spent the past 72-hours in, getting up, managing the dizzy-spells, and getting into a steam shower can open your sinuses up and bring some relief. It might be the difference between the road to recovery and the street-bench of symptom persistence. Some suggest if you're dizzy from the flu, and in the spell of a migraine, to turn the water on and sit by the steam to interact with the moisture. 

4. Humidifier: No--not humidor! H-u-m-i-d-i-f-i-e-r. Set one of these things up in your bedroom and get the air in the room moist. This will thin out the mucus in your nose, and help you breathe better. And if you're a smoker, and read the heading of this as 'humidifier', you should try to lay off the smokes till you're better--better yet, use the flu as an excuse to cut the cord.

5. Hot liquids: Hot lemon water with plenty of honey can sooth a dry throat--just ask any New York Metropolitan Opera singer. Some also suggest dissolving a Ricola throat drop in hot water and add lemon and honey to taste. My aunt swore by hot lemon water with honey and cayenne pepper. 

6. Extra pillow: Do you ever notice that your nose gets worse when you're laying down at night? The reason is the mucus drains down to your nose and pools around. To keep the drainage going, place an extra pillow under you try to stay elevated. 

Try to remember: in the words of Cold Play, "Everything's not lost..." You'll get better--it's just a hiccup, or a sniffle. The world's not going to fall apart if you spend a day or two in bed--it's probably your body telling you to slow down anyway. Sometimes you need to go down with a whimper, not a bang. If the symptoms continue or worsen, get thee to the nearest walk-in clinic or family doctor.