If you’ve ever had a cold, you know that it’s not the most romantic time. You’re congested, your nose is running, and you feel like you have the flu. But then, you have fixed a date with this new guy you really like, or maybe he is already your boyfriend. Your mind is probably racing already with the question, Can I go on a date with a cold?
Yes, you can, but only if you feel well enough. The best thing to do is wait to go on a date until you’re feeling better. If your symptoms are mild and aren’t bothering you too much, then it’s okay to go on your date. But if your symptoms are more severe, then it’s best to postpone your date until you’re feeling better.
If you’re feeling well enough to go out with your date, make sure you take some precautions to keep yourself from spreading your germs. It’s better for everyone if you don’t get them sick too. The best way to avoid exposing others to your germs is by staying home until at least 24 hours after your symptoms have gone away.
You can also just cancel the date and reschedule for another time if you’re not feeling well enough.
ALSO READ: Is It Weird for a Junior to Date a Freshman?
How to Get Rid of a Cold Before Your Date
1. Get some rest
You should get as much rest as possible while you have a cold. Having a cold can be exhausting, and it’s important to take the time to rest. If you’re not able to get enough sleep while you’re sick, your body won’t have the chance to recover fully or fight off any further illness.
Resting will also help prevent other complications that may arise from having a cold from becoming more serious problems. If you have to work through your symptoms, try taking naps at work during breaks in order to recharge yourself before going back on duty again later in the day.
2. Try zinc supplements
In addition to getting plenty of rest, you can try zinc supplements. Zinc is a mineral that helps boost the immune system and has also been shown to shorten the duration of the common cold. Zinc supplements are available over-the-counter and come in different forms, including lozenges and tablets. The amount of zinc contained in these products varies widely, so it’s important to read labels carefully before choosing one.
3. Drink loads of fluids
The first thing you should do when you feel like you have a cold is to drink lots of fluids. When your body is dehydrated, it can’t fight off illnesses as well. Drink lots of hot water with lemon, soup or tea to ensure your body stays hydrated. This will help the mucus in your nose and throat stay thinner, so it doesn’t get dried out by air pollution and irritants around you.
In addition to drinking plenty of liquids, avoid alcohol and caffeine for a couple of days if possible. Caffeine may help ease a stuffy nose, but too much will make you jittery, which could hurt sleep quality at night, worsening symptoms instead of helping them go away faster.
TRENDING: Is It Okay to Call a Guy Babe if You’re Not Dating?
4. Gargle with salt water
Saltwater can help relieve a sore throat, cough, congestion, and runny nose. It’s also good for headaches. Gargling with salt water will kill bacteria in your mouth, which helps to prevent infections or illnesses from spreading. You should use 1/2 teaspoon to 1 teaspoon of salt in 8 ounces of warm water to gargle with.
You might also want to try gargling not only with plain old table salt but also Himalayan crystal salt since it contains more minerals than regular table salt does. This can be especially helpful when you’re sick since it will replenish some of the nutrients lost through sweating during a fever or other illness symptoms.
5. Take a hot shower
Hot showers are helpful for congestion and can help you relax. You won’t find any research proving that hot showers cure colds, but they do have a number of benefits: they can help you feel better by opening up airways and increasing circulation, they can reduce stress levels and the amount of mucus produced in the lungs, and they might even relax tight muscles.
Stay in for about 10 minutes. If you’re tired or just want to rest without coughing all over your walls, it’s best to take a long shower. Ten minutes is sufficient time to get clean and let the steam loosen up any congestion within your throat or chest.
6. Sip on hot tea and soup
Hot tea and soup are soothing, especially when you’re feeling under the weather. Hot drinks can help alleviate symptoms and make you feel better by relieving a sore throat, especially with honey. Tea is also a natural way to soothe your stomach and ease nausea.
Hot tea can also be helpful in helping you sleep better and possibly sweat out toxins. If you’re running a fever, drinking hot liquids may be all it takes for your body to start sweating out the illness. You’ll wake up feeling refreshed.
Hot soup and tea can also help relax your tense muscles and mind. A cup of tea or bowl of hot soup can leave even the most stressed person feeling relaxed, which might explain why some people find peanut butter sandwiches comforting when they’re sick.
7. Don’t smoke or drink alcohol
Smoking can make a cold worse, and it’s bad for your lungs to begin with. Not only that, smoking also makes a person more likely to be dehydrated. Dehydration means the body is losing water faster than it can replace it, which has a number of negative effects on one’s health. Among them are increased risk of heart attack or stroke; headache and fatigue; dizziness; dry skin and mouth; chapped lips; decreased blood flow throughout the body; loss of appetite or weight loss; and constipation.
READ ALSO: Why Do Guys Tease Their Friends About a Girl He Likes?
Will My Partner Catch a Cold if I Kiss Him?
Yes, a cold can be transmitted through kissing. You can pass on a cold to your partner if you have a cold yourself. You can also catch a cold by kissing someone who has one, but it’s not guaranteed. It depends on how long you kiss them and whether or not you exchange saliva. If you’re kissing for less than 15 seconds, then it’s unlikely that enough saliva will be exchanged to make either of you sick.
If you’re kissing for longer than 15 seconds, there’s a greater chance that you’ll transmit your germs to your partner. This is especially true if either of you has a runny nose or coughs during the kiss.
The cold virus is spread by secretions from the nose and throat, such as mucus or saliva. This means that kissing is common for people to transfer the virus. It’s not just kissing, though. If one person sneezes into their hand and then shakes hands with another person, they can pass on the cold virus that way too.
How Long After a Cold Can You Kiss Someone?
Kissing is a normal part of life, but what if you or your partner has a cold? How long after a cold can you kiss them? Well, it depends on the type of cold. Viruses such as adenovirus, coronavirus, and parainfluenza are spread through inhaling infected droplets coughed or sneezed into the air by an infected person. These viruses cause the common cold and can also be spread by kissing if your partner has an active infection.
When you’re sick with a cold, you probably want to stay away from other people. But the truth is that even if you’re not contagious, it’s not always a bad idea to kiss someone. There isn’t any research out there on how long after a cold someone should wait before kissing someone else. However, as long as you no longer feel the symptoms of the cold, you can kiss people without worrying about infecting them with anything else besides love and affection.
Final Thoughts
The cold is no fun, but it’s probably not a deal breaker in the early stages of a relationship. If you’re already dating someone and get a cold, your partner might expect you to cancel on them and take care of yourself instead. But if you’re just getting to know each other, it’s probably OK to push through.
That said, it’s important not to underestimate how contagious a cold can be, especially regarding viruses like the common cold or influenza. So if your partner has been coughing or sneezing all day, allow them to stay home.
Finally, colds are usually caused by viruses that spread through direct contact with an infected person. So if someone tells me they have a cold, I won’t date them unless they want to wait until they’ve recovered from their illness first.
