From nonstop coughing and sneezing to days spent in bed feeling helplessly exhausted, it doesn’t take long to get sick of being under the weather. In North America, the flu and common cold have returned as unwelcome guests to wreak havoc on our immune systems throughout the fall and winter. Despite taking precautions such as maintaining good hygiene, washing hands regularly, and getting vaccinated, it’s almost inevitable that you’ll spend at least a few days with the sniffles (or worse). Below, Bryant’s School of Health and Behavioral Sciences’ Director Kirsten Hokeness, Ph.D., shares information about the viruses, treatment tips, and symptom management to ease discomfort:

Each year the common cold and flu return. What is the difference between them?

The flu is caused by the influenza virus while colds are caused by a number of different viruses — though rhinoviruses are typically the culprit. Both the cold and flu are upper respiratory infections that spread via coughing, sneezing, and close contact with infected individuals. Colds tend to have milder symptoms that are limited to the respiratory tract (think: stuffy and runny nose, coughing, and sneezing). The flu can have similar symptoms but often involves a fever, chills, and systemic symptoms like achiness and headaches. Additionally, the flu can lead to complications such as bacterial infections and pneumonia, which could require hospital stays.

What treatment options are available if you have the common cold or flu?

Since the flu and colds are caused by viruses, there’s not a lot you can do. Antibiotics will only work on bacterial infections; however, there is an antiviral medication known as Tamiflu, which works against the flu virus. Tamiflu stops the influenza virus from replicating in your system but is only effective if taken within the first 24 to 48 hours post onset of symptoms. As a result, you can cut the illness’s length by a few days and decrease the risk of severe infections. Once the virus has replicated enough to cause illness, the drug won’t do much. There is no antiviral for rhinovirus, though some studies have shown that taking zinc can decrease the length of infection.

What should you be eating and drinking when you’re sick?

Fluids are always best. Fluids are often lost through coughing, sneezing, or sweating if you have a fever, so keeping your body hydrated is important. They also help keep your mucus thin so you can manage it better. When mucus gets thick and sticky, it causes more complications and is harder to expel when you cough or sneeze. Soups and broths are good as well. Fighting an infection takes a lot of energy, so look for foods that are rich in vitamins (think: vegetables, chicken) or those with vitamin C to boost immune function.

What causes nighttime coughing fits, and how can you ease them?

When you lay down, mucus tends to settle, and it becomes harder to clear compared to when you are up and moving during the day. Hydration and steam from a hot shower can help. You can also try putting your head over a faucet of running hot water and a towel over your head. Other than that, try cough suppressants or nighttime meds — such as Tylenol with codeine IF prescribed.

Why do we get congested when you’re sick?

Your immune system’s job is to trap pathogens and minimize their threat to your system. For respiratory infections, one way to do that is to enhance mucus production in your respiratory tract, which traps the virus so it can’t infect more cells and replicate. Then, when you cough or sneeze, your body gets rid of it.

Congestion also occurs because immune cells are working their way to the site of the infection and are carried by fluids. Aside from letting the infection self-limit itself, you can take over-the-counter decongestants; these treatments will provide temporary relief by reducing the swelling in your blood vessels that allows trapped mucus to drain better.

What are the latest developments on the vaccine front?

So, some of the largest barriers to vaccine efforts are time, distance to a vaccine clinic, and the ability to get transportation to a vaccine-delivery site. While the availability of vaccines at local clinics and pharmacy chains has been incredibly helpful, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has just approved the first flu vaccine that does not have to be administered by a healthcare provider.

FluMist — which is said to be available next year — is a nasal spray manufactured by AstraZeneca. With a prescription, FluMist can be sent home and self-administered or given to a patient by a caregiver. This is big in the fight to have healthcare accessible for all. Ensuring that the FluMist preparation is as effective as the injection is still something we need to watch but, coming from a working mom with twins involved in a million activities, this is a pretty big deal.

Bryant’s Health Services will hold three flu and COVID-19 vaccine clinics on campus this fall. The first will be held from 7:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Oct. 17 in the Unistructure’s rotunda mezzanine. The second will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Oct. 23 in the Business Entrepreneurship Leadership Center’s dining meeting room. The third will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in MRC 3 within the Unistructure.