by Iris W

Created on: January 12, 2009

It's that time of the year again, and you can see red runny noses on nearly everyone's face. The constant sneezing, sniffling and achoo-ing are absolutely no fun. Worse of all, you can possibly spread the germs to someone else and get them sick too if you have a cold. But how do you know if you're really having a cold?

A cold is a viral infection that is caused by a virus 99% of the time, and very rarely caused by bacteria. The typical symptoms of sneezing, congestion, itching or runny nose occur during the process of which the body's immune system is trying to kill the virus.

You can usually identify a cold through the symptoms, which would usually show up a few days after the infection. You would likely have some burning sensation in your throat or nose first, or simply sore throat, and then start to sneeze frequently. Mild cough is also a typical symptom for a cold. It usually does not get any worse, but it could likely continue on with the cold. At this point, you may feel congested for a week or more. However, if you are coughing up dark mucus or if you are feeling a lot of distress low down in your lungs, you may have a bacterial infection and should seek a doctor's help immediately.

The next symptom to occur would probably be runny nose and nasal secretion. Nose drippings are likely to be watery at first but you will start to develop thicker mucus. Mucus for cold is usually yellow or green in color, depending on its severity. A lighter color of mucus (like yellow) means a less serious cold. But if the mucus is clear, then you might not be suffering from a cold but allergy instead.

Naturally, you would also exhibit general fatigue, body aches and loss of appetite. You might feel sleepy and tired all the time. Sometimes, a cold will also be accompanied by a slight fever although this is quite rare. Serious development of fever might indicate something more than just a cold, such as flu.

The cold will typically lasts for a few days, maybe even a week or two. If it goes on for longer than that, you should see a doctor as it might be some other illness.

Another typical indicator of a cold may include the time of occurrence. A cold usually occur during cold seasons, like winter, although it is possible to happen at any other time as well.

Another tip is to find out if anyone else around you is sick too. Since a cold is contagious, another similar sickness usually suggests a cold.

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