5 Tips for Recovering from the Flu
Written by TYE Medical on Feb 26th 2024
It’s the positive test result you dread. A confirmed flu case often means days in bed, body aches, fever, maybe an upset stomach, congestion, and more. While the most severe systems only last two or three days, the course of the virus often lasts about a week. Even after those first seven days, you can continue to have fatigue, weakness, congestion, and a cough for up to another week. Influenza is a grueling virus with lingering effects. Since it’s highly contagious, it also keeps you isolated to prevent infecting others.
Since the flu is tough to get through, you might wonder what you can do to speed up the recovery process and get back to your usual routine. Here are 5 tips to make your road to recovering from the flu more effective.
1. Stay Home
Be sure to stay home. You’re not going to feel like being out anyway, but it’s also important to protect others from the virus. Hit the pause button on your daily routine and resign yourself to staying put. After some rest, you might experience periods of increased energy and vigor, but don’t be fooled. This is only temporary and your symptoms will soon resurge. You are still sick and must resist the urge to run those errands, grocery shop, or sneak into the office for a few minutes.
But there is one exception: you may need to see your doctor. Senior adults or people with underlying health conditions may need to see their doctor or receive additional monitoring or care. If this is the case, arrange for someone else to drive you to your appointment and take precautions to protect them from contracting the virus.
2. Stay Hydrated
Your body needs plenty of fluids to fend off the flu and recover. This is because flu symptoms strip your body of fluids and also create excess mucus then become thick and cause congestion.
When you drink plenty of water and hydrating fluids, such as clear, non caffeinated liquids, it replenishes what it lost during the illness. You lose fluids when high fevers cause sweating. Vomiting and diarrhea also dehydrate your body.
A steady supply of hydrating fluids also keeps mucus thinned and easier to expel, not to mention that your body needs fluid to fight off the infection.
Besides plain water, you can also drink herbal teas, sparkling water, chicken broth, and even clear juices (in moderation). Just be sure to avoid alcohol and caffeine as these are naturally dehydrating.
3. Get Lots of Sleep
Sleeping often is the best thing you can do to recover from the flu. Some non-taxing activities like watching TV aren’t bad, but nothing replaces restorative sleep. Give yourself a license to go to bed early and sleep in. Nap during the day if needed. Don’t be afraid to give your struggling body the rest that it needs to fight back against the virus.
Plenty of rest and sleep can also make you less likely to develop flu complications like pneumonia.
4. Deal with Congestion
It’s almost impossible to get a good night’s rest if you’re coughing and have a stuffy nose. Unmanaged congestion can also lead to sinus infections, ear infections, and pneumonia. You may need to enlist the help of over-the-counter decongestants and expectorants to keep your airways open and mucus flowing.
You can also get better rest if you prop your head with an extra pillow to relieve sinus pressure and sleep with a humidifier in the room. You might also sleep better if you take a hot bath or shower before lights out. The steam can help relieve congestion.
5. Take Over-the-Counter Medications
You’re probably going to need some help and not just to make yourself more comfortable. Managing symptoms with help from specialized and accessible medications can help you recover more quickly and prevent complications.
If you have underlying health conditions, it’s important that you check with your doctor to learn which OTC medications are safe for you to take.
- Pain relievers help reduce fevers and ease pain from headaches and body aches. Popular choices are acetaminophen (Tylenol) and ibuprofen (Advil).
- Decongestants can clear your nasal passages and relieve sinus pressure. Common decongestants are pseudoephedrine (Sudafed) and oxymetazoline HCL nasal spray (Afrin).
- Cough suppressants like dextromethorphan (Robitussin) can soothe a dry, unproductive cough so you can sleep.
- Expectorants help thin and loosen thick mucus that causes congestion. They can make your coughs more productive. Mucinex is a common expectorant.
- Antihistamines used to treat allergies usually have sedative effects that can make you sleepy and help you get better rest.
Some medications are combinations that include both an expectorant and a pain reliever, for example. Be sure to read labels and know what you’re taking so that you don’t over medicate.
Recover Smartly
The flu is taxing and totally disruptive to your life, but taking a proactive approach to fighting back against the virus can shorten the duration. If you stay home, drink plenty of hydrating fluids, rest, and medicate as needed, you can rebound more quickly and completely.
Additionally, try adding some elderberry to your regimen. Several studies have credited the herbal supplement with reducing the severity of flu symptoms and even shortening the duration of the flu by days.
If you are at high risk for developing complications from the flu, for example, if you’re 65 or older, you can talk to your doctor about taking an antiviral drug like Tamiflu within 48 of your first symptoms.
