Cold or Flu? | Patient Education

Colds and flu are both highly contagious and, in the initial stages, a bad cold and a mild case of the flu might seem alike. Unlike a cold, though, the flu is a serious illness that can have life-threatening complications. Here is a comparison of cold and flu symptoms.

Fever

• With a cold – Fever is rare in adults and older children, but babies and small children may have a fever as high as 102 degrees Fahrenheit.
• With the flu – Fever is often a symptom of the flu and is usually around 102 degrees Fahrenheit, but can go as high as 104 degrees. Fever with the flu usually lasts three to four days.

Headache

• With a cold – Headaches are rare.
• With the flu – Headaches are common, can come on suddenly and may be rather severe.

Muscle aches

• With a cold – Muscle aches are usually mild.
• With the flu –  Muscle aches are common and often severe.

Feeling tired and weak

• With a cold – You may be tired and weak, but this feeling is typically mild and never turns into extreme exhaustion.
• With the flu – It’s extremely common to feel tired and weak for two weeks or longer. You may also have extreme exhaustion that comes on suddenly.

Runny nose, sore throat and sneezing

• With a cold – It’s common to have a runny nose, a sore throat and sneezing.
• With the flu – You may have a runny nose, a sore throat and sneezing.

Cough

• With a cold – A mild hacking cough is common.
• With the flu – Coughing is common and can become severe.

This information was adapted from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website. For more information, visit the CDC’s flu page.

Colds and the Flu: Tips for Feeling Better

Please note: This information was current at the time of publication. But medical information is always changing, and some information given here may be out of date. For regularly updated information on a variety of health topics, please visit familydoctor.org, the AAFP patient education website.

Information from Your Family Doctor

Am Fam Physician. 2006 Oct 1;74(7):1179-1180.

How can I tell if I have a cold or the flu?

Colds and the flu cause many of the same symptoms. But colds are usually mild, while the flu tends to be more severe.

A cold often starts with feeling tired, sneezing, coughing, and having a runny nose. You may not have a fever, or you may run a low fever—just 1 or 2 degrees higher than usual. You may have muscle aches, a scratchy or sore throat, watery eyes, and a headache.

The flu starts suddenly and hits hard. You will probably feel weak and tired and have a fever, dry cough, a runny nose, chills, muscle aches, a bad headache, eye pain, and a sore throat. It usually takes longer to get over the flu than a cold.

What causes colds and the flu?

More than 100 different viruses can cause colds. There aren’t as many viruses that cause the flu. That’s why there is a shot for the flu and not for colds. To keep from getting the flu, all children between six months and five years of age, adults older than 50 years, and people with asthma or lung problems should get a flu shot every October or November.

What can I do to feel better?

There is no cure for a cold or the flu. Antibiotics don’t work against viruses. Unless you have the flu and see your doctor within two days after your symptoms start, all you can do to feel better is treat your symptoms while your body fights off the virus. You can also use over-the-counter cold medicines to help you feel better. Do not give children cold medicine without checking with your doctor first. People who take prescription medicine also should check with their doctor before taking over-the-counter cold medicine.

Ways to treat your cold and flu symptoms

• Stay home and rest, especially while you have a fever.

• Stop smoking, and avoid secondhand smoke.

• Drink plenty of fluids like water, fruit juices, and clear soups.

• Do not drink alcohol.

• Gargle with warm salt water a few times a day if you have a sore throat. Throat sprays or lozenges may also help with the pain.

• Use a nose spray to help loosen mucus and moisten the skin in your nose.

Should I call my doctor?

Most people do not need to see a doctor when they have a cold or the flu. But if you have any of the symptoms in the box below, call your doctor.

Emergency cold and flu symptoms

In children:

• Fever above 102°F (38.9°C) or a fever that lasts a long time

• A cold that lasts for more than 10 days

• Trouble breathing, fast breathing, or wheezing

• Bluish skin

• Not drinking enough fluids

• Earache or drainage from the ear

• Mental changes (such as trouble waking up, irritability, or seizures)

• Flu-like symptoms that get better but come back later with a fever and a worse cough

• Chronic medical problems (such as diabetes or heart disease) that get worse

In adults:

• Fever above 102°F (38. 9°C) or a fever that lasts a long time

• A cold that lasts for more than 10 days

• Trouble breathing or shortness of breath

• Pain or pressure in the chest

• Fainting or feeling like you are about to faint

• Confusion

• Severe vomiting

• Very bad pain in your face or forehead

• Hoarseness, sore throat, or a cough that won’t go away

Why you get sleepy when you’re sick

It’s a familiar feeling you get when you’re sick – you don’t want to eat or move, all you want to do is sleep.

We think it’s because our body is expending all its energy fighting the infection.

But a new study claims it in fact all boils down to a chemical affecting activity in the nervous system cells.

Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania studied the simple nervous system of a roundworm to show how one cell can change your whole body’s response to sickness.

A chemical turns down the activity in our nervous system, which would normally keep us awake. That could be the reason we feel sleepy when we’re sick, a new study claims

The study, conducted at the university’s Perelman School of Medicine, looked at the nervous system of a roundworm – parasites that generally live in the human gut.

During sickness, cells are under stress and organisms experience sleepiness to promote sleep and recover from that stress.

Scientists found in the worm a single nerve cell called Alpha-Lipoic Acid (ALA), which released a group of chemicals that send signals between brain neurons.

ALA has been known to assist the the body’s energy production and acts as a powerful antioxidant. It can help treat nerve damage, protect the liver, and possibly help slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.

The main chemical released, FLP-13, causes sleep by turning down activity in the nervous system cells that help keep organisms awake. 

WHY WE CATCH COLD WHEN IT GETS COLD

Researchers have discovered more details about how a sudden drop in outdoor temperature can confuse your body’s defenses.

Aerosol particles containing virus and liquid are more able to spread in cold and dry weather.

If the surrounding air is dry, it absorbs moisture and the aerosol particles shrink and can remain airborne.

According to the University of Gothenburg’s Nicklas Sundell, this is probably a more important factor for the flu epidemics than indoor crowding during poor weather wintertime.

‘Cold and dry weather and small aerosol particles are important perquisites for the flu epidemic to take off,’ Sundell, a researcher at Sahlgrenska Academy and infectious diseases specialist at Sahlgrenska University Hospital, said.

The study comprised three seasons and 20,000 virus samples taken with nasal swabs from people who sought medical care in the Gothenburg area.

The incidence of respiratory viruses was then compared over time with weather data from the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI).

The results are clear: flu outbreaks seem to be activated about one week after the first really cold period with low outdoor temperatures and low humidity.  

Researchers examined genetic mutations to determine which genes caused the worms to fall asleep when that chemical was released.

The worms with mutations that cause them to lack a receptor protein on cell surfaces, called DMSR-1, did not become sleepy in response to FLP-13. This indicates that DMSR-1 is essential for sleep to be triggered.

Researchers next want to study whether illness-induced sleepiness in humans and other mammals is triggered via a similar mechanism. 

If so, this research may be a critical step towards developing drugs to treat human fatigue associated with sickness and other conditions.

Senior author Dr David Raizen, an associate professor of neurology and a member of the Center for Sleep and Circadian Neurobiology, said: ‘Sleep is vitally important in helping both people and animals to recover during sickness.

‘Similar signaling may operate in humans and other animals to regulate sleep during sickness. These findings create a launching pad towards future research into the mechanisms for illness-induced sleepiness in humans and other organisms. ‘ 

Previous studies, also conducted by the Perelman School of Medicine, showed the importance of sleep in fighting infection by studying fruit flies.  

Researchers purposely infected fruit flies that were either sleep-deprived or non-sleep-deprived with Serratia marcescens or Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria.

They found that the sleep-deprived flies had greater survival after the infection compared with the non-sleep-deprived flies. Sleep deprivation seemed to make the fruit flies sleep more after being infected with the bacteria.

The researchers also genetically engineered the flies to sleep more before they were infected with bacteria. 

These flies were able to survive longer after being infected and were better able to clear the bacteria from their bodies, therefore suggesting sleep has a positive effect on the immune response.

The Scientific Reason You Feel Sleepy When You’re Sick

You know you’re really sick when you can barely keep your eyes open. But why is that?

They can’t order me to stop dreaming. Credit: Cinderella

Researchers think they have a lead on the answer. According to a study of roundworms in eLife, a chemical previously identified for its role in making organisms fall asleep actually works “by turning down activity in the cells in the nervous system that promote wakefulness.” The team specifically fingered a protein called DMSR-1, saying it is necessary to induce sleep: One in 10 nervous system cells in the worm — which signal the creepy crawler to move or look for food — contain that protein receptor which works with chemical FLP-13, but worms lacking the receptor due to a genetic mutation do not get sleepy when the chemical is released.

Read: Nap Tips for Bad Sleepers

FLP-13 is released during an illness, and the sick sleep that follows could be a different kind of rest from regular sleeping. According to the study, the sick animals stop normal behaviors like feeding and responding to most things in their environment.

“Sleep is vitally important in helping both people and animals to recover during sickness,” senior author Dr. David M. Raizen, a neurology professor, said in a statement from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

Let the Sleeping Death seep through. Credit: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

And previous research has shown that getting more sleep when you’re sick is better for healing.

One of the next steps is to find out if the mechanism in the worm that drives sick sleepiness is also at play in humans, and that discovery could lead to new medicines.

“It remains to be seen whether sleep in response to acute illness in other animals functions in a similar fashion,” the study says. If it does, “then drugs might be developed to treat people experiencing fatigue associated with sickness as well as other unexplained cases of fatigue.”

There is also more to be learned about the DMSR-1 receptors, such as whether chemicals other than FLP-13 are working with them to make us tired — and the researchers say that is likely. “But the identities of these other chemicals remain unknown,” the study says.

Source: Raizen DM, Iannacone MJ, Beets I, et al. The RFamide receptor DMSR-1 regulates stress-induced sleep in C. elegans. eLife. 2017.

See also:

Naps Will Keep Your Mind Sharp

Is It Possible to Get Too Much Sleep?

Cold vs. Flu Symptoms

Coping With Colds (for Teens)

What’s a Cold?

A cold is an infection of the upper respiratory system. This means it can affect the nose, throat, and sinuses. A cold virus gets inside your body and makes you sick.

Most teens get between two and four colds a year. That’s not surprising — colds are the most common infectious disease in the United States, and cause more school absences than any other illness.

What Causes Colds?

Most colds are caused by viruses (called rhinoviruses) that are in invisible droplets in the air you breathe or on things you touch. If one of these viruses gets through the protective lining of the nose and throat, it triggers an immune system reaction. This can cause a sore throat and headache, and make it hard to breathe.

No one knows exactly why people become infected with colds at certain times. But no matter what you hear, sitting or sleeping in a draft, not dressing warmly when it’s chilly, or going outside with wet hair will not cause someone to catch a cold.

Dry air — indoors or outside — can lower resistance to infection by viruses. So can allergies, lack of sleep, stress, not eating properly, or being around someone who smokes. And smokers are more likely to catch colds than people who don’t smoke. Their symptoms will probably be worse, last longer, and be more likely to lead to bronchitis or even pneumonia.

What Are the Signs and Symptoms of a Cold?

The first symptoms of a cold are often a tickle in the throat, a runny or stuffy nose, and sneezing. You also might feel very tired and have a sore throat, cough, headache, mild fever, muscle aches, and loss of appetite. Mucus from your nose may become thick yellow or green.

Are Colds Contagious?

Yes. Rhinoviruses can stay alive as droplets in the air or on surfaces for as long as 3 hours or even more. So if you touch your mouth or nose after touching someone or something that’s been contaminated by one of these viruses, you’ll probably catch a cold (unless you’re already immune to the particular virus from having been exposed to it before).

If you already have a cold, you’re more likely to spread it to others if you don’t wash your hands after you cough or sneeze. Going to school or doing normal activities probably won’t make you feel any worse. But it will make it more likely that your cold will spread to classmates or friends.

How Long Do Colds Last?

Cold symptoms usually start 2 or 3 days after a person has been exposed to the virus. People with colds are most contagious for the first 3 or 4 days after the symptoms begin and can be contagious for up to 3 weeks. Although some colds can linger for as long as 2 weeks, most clear up within a week.

How Are Colds Treated?

Over-the-counter (OTC) cold medicines can’t prevent a cold, but some people think these ease symptoms. They won’t help you get better faster, though. And sometimes OTC cold medicines can cause stomach upset or make someone feel dizzy, tired, or unable to sleep. If your nose feels really stuffy, try saline (saltwater) drops to help clear it.

Ask your parents (who can talk with a doctor or pharmacist) what medicine you should take, if any. Most doctors recommend acetaminophen for aches, pains, and fever. If you have a cold, you should not take aspirin or any medicine that contains aspirin, unless your doctor says it’s OK. Use of aspirin by teens with colds or other viral illness may increase the risk of developing Reye syndrome, a rare but serious condition that can be fatal. 

Your doctor can let you know if it’s OK to take an antihistamine or decongestant, but there is little evidence that these really make a difference.

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How Can I Feel Better?

Like all viruses, those that cause colds have to run their course. Getting plenty of rest and drinking lots of fluids can do as much good as medicine as far as helping someone with a cold feel better.

Whether you feel like sleeping around the clock or just taking things a bit easier, pay attention to what your body is telling you when you have a cold. A warm bath or heating pad can soothe aches and pains, and the steam from a hot shower can help you breathe more easily.

Don’t worry about whether to feed a cold or starve a fever. Just eat when you’re hungry. And you might have heard that chicken soup can cure a cold. There’s no real proof of this, but sick people have been swearing by it for more than 800 years.

When Should I Go to the Doctor?

Teens who catch colds usually don’t get very sick or need medical attention. But talk to a doctor if any of these things happen to you:

• Your cold symptoms last for more than a week or appear at the same time every year or whenever you’re exposed to pollen, dust, animals, or some other substance (you could have an allergy).
• You have trouble breathing or wheeze when you catch a cold (you could have asthma).
• Your symptoms get worse after 3 days or so instead of better (this might mean strep throat, sinusitis, bronchitis, or some other bacterial infection, especially if you smoke).

You should see your doctor if you think you might have more than a cold or if you’re getting worse instead of getting better.

Other signs that it’s time to call your doctor include:

• coughing that lasts for more than 2–3 weeks
• inability to keep food or liquids down
• increasing headache or facial or throat pain
• severely painful sore throat
• fever of 103°F (39.3°C) or higher, or a fever of 102°F (38.9°C) that lasts for more than a day
• chest or stomach pain
• swollen glands (lymph nodes)
• earache

A doctor won’t be able to identify which specific virus is causing a cold. But your doctor can check your throat and ears and possibly also take a throat culture to make sure your symptoms due to another condition. A throat culture is a simple procedure that involves brushing the inside of the throat with a long cotton swab. Examining the germs on the swab will help determine whether you have strep throat and need treatment with antibiotics.

If your doctor does prescribe antibiotics, be sure to take them exactly as directed. If you stop taking them too soon — even if you’re feeling better — the infection may not go away and you can develop other problems

Can Colds Be Prevented?

Sooner or later everybody catches a cold. But you can strengthen your immune system’s infection-fighting ability by exercising regularly, eating a balanced diet, and getting enough rest.

Although some people recommend alternative treatments for colds (such as zinc and vitamin C in large doses, or herbal products such as echinacea), none of these is proven to prevent or effectively treat colds. Because herbal products can have negative side effects, lots of doctors don’t recommend them.

Lack of sleep: Can it make you sick?

I’m having trouble sleeping lately.

Does this increase my chances of getting sick?

Answer From Eric J. Olson, M.D.

Yes, lack of sleep can affect your immune system. Studies show that people who don’t get quality sleep or enough sleep are more likely to get sick after being exposed to a virus, such as a common cold virus. Lack of sleep can also affect how fast you recover if you do get sick.

During sleep, your immune system releases proteins called cytokines, some of which help promote sleep. Certain cytokines need to increase when you have an infection or inflammation, or when you’re under stress. Sleep deprivation may decrease production of these protective cytokines. In addition, infection-fighting antibodies and cells are reduced during periods when you don’t get enough sleep.

So, your body needs sleep to fight infectious diseases. Long-term lack of sleep also increases your risk of obesity, diabetes, and heart and blood vessel (cardiovascular) disease.

How much sleep do you need to bolster your immune system? The optimal amount of sleep for most adults is seven to eight hours of good sleep each night. Teenagers need nine to 10 hours of sleep. School-aged children may need 10 or more hours of sleep.

But more sleep isn’t always better. For adults, sleeping more than nine to 10 hours a night may result in a poor quality of sleep, such as difficulty falling or staying asleep.

Nov. 28, 2018

Show references

1. Brain basics: Understanding sleep. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/brain_basics/understanding_sleep.htm. Accessed May 27, 2015.
2. Your guide to healthy sleep. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/resources/sleep/healthy-sleep. Accessed May 27, 2015.
3. Cirelli C. Definition and consequences of sleep deprivation. http://www.uptodate.com/home. Accessed May 27, 2015.
4. Cedernaes J, et al. Determinants of shortened, disrupted, and mistimed sleep and associated metabolic health consequences in healthy humans. Diabetes. 2015;64:1073.
5. How sleep deprivation affects your heart. National Sleep Foundation. http://sleepfoundation.org/sleep-news/how-sleep-deprivation-affects-your-heart. Accessed May 27, 2015.
6. Olson EJ (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. June 2, 2015.

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Tips for Sleeping with a Cough

Each year, up to 30 million doctor’s visits occur to address coughing. Many people also likely experience coughing without seeking treatment, as it is a symptom of both the common cold and the flu. When you have a cough, you might notice it interfering with your sleep. Thankfully, there are actions you can take to help yourself obtain the sleep you need to feel better.

Why Do I Cough More at Night When I’m Sick?

People may experience coughing at night — called a nocturnal cough — for multiple reasons. Our bodies naturally cough to protect us by removing mucus and foreign objects from the windpipe, voice box, and lungs. Generally, coughing serves the same function whether it happens at night or during the daytime.

When you are sick, your cough might worsen at night due to postnasal drip. Postnasal drip refers to secretions that run down the back of the throat instead of coming out of the nose. This symptom often accompanies a cold, as well as the flu, allergies, and sinus infections. Lying on your back can worsen postnasal drip, which may be why you notice worse coughing at night.

Can You Sleep Off a Cold?

Medical professionals have not yet found a cure to the common cold, but they recommend obtaining plenty of rest as you recover. Sleep and the immune system are closely linked, so receiving adequate sleep generally promotes healing. Research suggests sleep improves immunity because of its effects on hormones in the body and the inflammation response.

Sleeping enough before you fall ill could be the best way to avoid the common cold. Healthy adults should sleep for seven or more hours each night.

Research shows that people who are sleep deprived in the week before being exposed to the cold virus are more likely to develop symptoms than people who receive adequate sleep. Studies suggest that those who sleep less than five hours per night are more than twice as likely to become symptomatic than those who sleep more than seven hours per night. Those who sleep less than seven hours per night are almost three times more likely to develop a cold than those who sleep at least eight hours.

How Does a Cold Affect Your Sleep?

Over 40% of people report that sleeping more than normal  helps as they deal with a cold, yet it is natural to have trouble sleeping when you have a cold. In a survey conducted across several countries, 46% of people reported that having a cold or the flu disrupts their ability to receive good sleep. Additionally, 94% reported that when sick with a cold or flu, symptoms wake them up at night.

Although a cough is the symptom that is most likely to wake you up at night when you have a cold, other cold symptoms such as aches and pains, a sore throat, runny nose, and the need to sneeze might also disturb your sleep. People experiencing a fever may have fever dreams. These unusual, negative dreams could also make sleeping more difficult while you are sick.

How to Sleep With a Cough or Cold

Although you may not succeed in entirely eliminating your symptoms overnight, there are some habits that may help you enjoy more restorative sleep as you recover. If your cough is made worse by asthma, seasonal allergies, or other conditions, you may also need to treat these conditions to help relieve your cough.

Consume Honey

Before reaching for cold medication, experts recommend parents give children over 12 months of age honey as a safer treatment for upper respiratory infections like the cold. For non-infant children, consuming honey before bedtime has been shown to reduce how often and how severely a child coughs at night. Children and parents alike may enjoy improved sleep when a sick child takes honey before sleeping.

Researchers focus their honey studies on children in particular because over-the-counter cough medicines pose more risks to children than they do to adults, so finding an alternative treatment is more important for this age group. However, adults can also try honey to treat a cough. Honey is known to have multiple protective effects, including being antiviral, antifungal, and antibacterial.

Try Cough Medicine

Although many people naturally reach for cough medicine when they are experiencing a cold-related cough, research studies demonstrate mixed results when it comes to the effectiveness of cough medicines. Many studies have found that cough medicines do not provide any more of a benefit than a placebo does, and many cough medicines are associated with unpleasant side effects.

As part of the body’s immune response, coughing serves a purpose. Some medical experts caution that overusing medication that suppresses coughing could impact how long a person takes to recover from their illness.

Cough medicine is commonly available over-the-counter. If you find that cough medicine helps you sleep, then it may be worthwhile to use it in moderation, keeping in mind the potential side effects. For a dry cough, a lozenge may be sufficient to calm the cough reflex so you can fall asleep.

Try a Nasal Decongestant

Nasal decongestants contain substances that target the blood vessels in order to open up the nasal passages and decrease postnasal drip, which indirectly helps reduce coughing at night. Most nasal decongestants are available over-the-counter in the form of tablets, drops, or nasal sprays.

Like cough medicine research, studies on using nasal decongestants to treat the common cold have produced mixed results. Although they may work for some people, they can also bring side effects such as high blood pressure, headaches, nausea, dizziness, and insomnia. They should not be used for longer than five days, and they should not be used by children younger than six years old.

Drink a Warm Liquid

Hot tea and chicken soup are popular home remedies often said to relieve cold symptoms, though the effect of hot liquids on a cold has not been widely studied. One study from the 1970s found that ingesting hot liquids, such as hot water or chicken soup, reduced nasal congestion.

A more recent study found that a hot drink did not have any objective effect on the ability to breathe easily through the nose, but it did lead to people reporting that they could breathe more easily. Both a hot drink and the same drink at room temperature helped improve runny noses, sneezing, and coughs. Additionally, people who drank the hot drink reported that they felt less chilly and tired, and their throats were not as sore. The researchers concluded that a hot drink may help relieve cold and flu symptoms through a combination of the placebo effect and the drink’s ability to clear out nasal congestion.

Having a warm cup of tea or bowl of soup in the evening when you are feeling under the weather is worth a try. Even if the positive effects you experience are a placebo, they could temporarily help you feel better and experience improved sleep.

Elevate Your Head and Neck

Coughs related to postnasal drip can become a greater problem once a person lies down, due to gravity. If your cough seems to worsen once you lie flat, try propping up your head and neck. Use a wedge pillow or multiple bed pillows to make yourself comfortable while lying in a position that keeps your head elevated above the rest of your body. While this may help adults, it is not a recommended therapy for young children.

Use a Humidifier

Some studies have found that higher humidity levels are more favorable for clearing the nasal passages, though other studies have found a lack of evidence on whether using a humidifier affects nasal symptoms.

If your bedroom is excessively dry, you may want to consider investing in a humidifier to keep humidity levels between the recommended 30% to 50%. Keeping humidity levels above 40% also makes the influenza virus less infectious, which may help protect others in your household. That said, a house that is too humid can also aggravate airway symptoms for some people, so it is best to stay within the recommended limits.

If you do choose to use a humidifier, it is important to clean it regularly and only use distilled water.

When to Talk to Your Doctor

The common cold and its associated symptoms, such as a cough, typically last for about seven to 10 days. If your cough or cold symptoms persist beyond this timeframe or feel particularly severe, make an appointment with your doctor. Although many people recover from a cold easily, those with a compromised immune system or certain illnesses are at risk of the cold developing into a more serious infection, such as pneumonia or bronchitis.

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90,000 how to know that you are overtrained

We all want to train hard and improve in the sport we like – it goes without saying. There is nothing better than seeing the fruits of your efforts – the best results in races, personal records and victories.

The problem is that, due to excessive enthusiasm, we often overestimate our own strengths, which leads to overwork, from which there is more harm than good. We asked British rowing coach Dan Harris to tell us about the signs of over-training.

1. Heart rate fluctuations

“We always monitor resting heart rate against a certain standard,” says Harris, explaining that it is best to measure this heart rate right after waking up.

How running helps us

© Getty Images

“If he is 10 (or more) strokes over normal in the morning, we cancel the athlete’s workout – we can even send him home,” he continues, “7 strokes or more, and we change the program, reducing the intensity and the load.If an athlete has a common cold or general fatigue, we make the training easier for one or two days or even cancel it altogether. ”

2. You can’t do the exercises as usual

Everyone has had days or even weeks when achieved the expected results. Harris says this is a clear indicator of overtraining.

Add some zen to your swimming

© Gines Diaz / Red Bull Content Pool

“When you are overtrained, normal exercise becomes much more difficult,” he says.”If this happens once, it’s okay: you might just be too tired after the last training session,” continues Harris. “However, it’s worth looking at this drop in performance in low-intensity training because it’s a lot more overwhelming than not being able to do HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) training.”

3. You feel overwhelmed

Harris explains that fatigue is physical and mental.Overtraining can cause you to experience both types of fatigue (which is often what happens).

Eksempel på udmattelse

© Kelvin Trautman / Red Bull Content Pool

“In my opinion, mental fatigue affects training a lot – you just can’t concentrate on the important points,” he says. “That said, the soreness after training can last longer than usual, so it takes longer to recover. This only adds to the feeling of fatigue!”

4.Poor sleep / insomnia

You may find it easier to fall asleep after over-exercising because of fatigue, but it is important to understand the role of sleep quality.

Søvn er den bedste restitution for kroppen

© Beartooth

“Overtrained athletes feel sleepy all the time, not just at night, as they should,” says Harris. “For example, they can sleep for a long time during the day to” recuperate “, but then they will not be able to fall asleep when necessary.In general, not adhering to normal, natural sleep cycles negatively affects the recovery of the body, “he explains. your thoughts and mood in general It’s a double-edged sword: endorphins from successful training are balanced by disappointment from unsuccessful ones

Vær opmærksom på dit humør!

© Dave Mackison

Harris explains: fatigue, however, in my opinion, the same happens when training becomes boring.It can be difficult to tell what the real reason for a bad mood is. Keep in mind that even if you cancel your workout to recover, your bad mood won’t go away instantly. But this is okay – after all, you still want to play sports, right ?! ” test their body for strength, sometimes going beyond its capabilities.It’s not always a bad thing – this is how the body adapts and develops – but Harris says that with overtraining, problems like this occur more often.

Overtraining can lead to injury

© Shutterstock

“Small problems are common when you train hard, but they happen more often if you exert too much,” explains the trainer. “Try to notice these symptoms as early as possible and slow down, instead of trying to overcome the problem.”

7. You are constantly unwell

Rowers often train three times a day, sometimes on the water in bad weather conditions, and Harris knows firsthand how excessive training can lead to illness.

Overtræning kan lede til sygdom

© Alexander Beer

“Weakened immunity is a sign of overtraining,” he says. “If you constantly catch colds, coughs or get an infection, this is a natural result, as is the inability to cope with a simple cold.If you run it, it will result in something more unpleasant, like a severe flu or worse, and it will be more difficult to cure such a disease. As with minor injuries, always try to cope with the illness early on to facilitate recovery. ”

8. Lack of motivation

While we usually enjoy training and racing, when we overtrain According to Harris, it is possible to completely lose motivation, which is not the case with your normal state.

“A week of hard training can get you up to speed,” says Harris. “It is often too hard training when it’s difficult to get up and move on.”

Vær opmærksom på kroppen, når du træner hårdt

© Mark Dadswell / Red Bull Content Pool

“When real motivation issues arise, I discuss them with athletes and remind them of their goals,” he continues. “We choose the short term so that they have goals that are easier to achieve.Talking to a coach and redefining goals can restore motivation, because you realize that someone is involved in your training as well as you. “

9. Lack of progress

Another less noticeable consequence of overtraining is the plateau effect when your results It’s not surprising if you don’t increase the intensity of your workout, but it can happen if you overwork yourself.

En træner er en god ting, til at vurdere din træning

© Vaughan Brookfield / Red Bull Content Pool

“You may notice that your results or goals set have stopped growing, as opposed to being tired and feeling unwell,” says Harris.”The week following a week of intense training can be very tough, as we said, and your results may stay the same or even worsen instead of improving.”

How to get back to normal

If you have noticed similar symptoms and suspect that you have overtrained, Harris has prepared an advice for you how to get back to normal:

Homero Díaz og Iván Ramirez arbejder sammen til træning

© Jaandez Diaz / Red Bull Content Pool

• In any case, it is best to pay attention to fatigue as early as possible.If it does not go away after a week, see your doctor.

• Try to be more attentive to yourself, especially if you are involved in sports that require increased endurance. Be consistent in working on yourself, do not “run ahead of the locomotive.”

• Track your resting heart rate by comparing it with the norm – this way you will notice an increase in heart rate before it develops into a problem.

• Analyze your results. Use objective metrics and data to make it easier to spot worsening results.

• Listen to your body! There is nothing wrong with slowing down and spending more time resting and recovering. Discuss your condition with your coach.

Comments / Profile ruomserg / Habr

ABS is understandable. It matches the physics and instinctive desire of the driver in case of danger to press the pedal with all his might to the floor. There are no questions to this system – it is really activated when already “oh!” …

With ESP, everything is more complicated! A car without ESP is generally optimized by the manufacturer so as to have a smooth break-off characteristic – it must break off the trajectory predictably and gradually so that the driver can have time to fix it.The reverse side of the coin – when hit on a sharply different surface, it can instantly turn and throw. The car with ESP has artificially improved handling characteristics, and remains on the trajectory at a higher speed. But if the driver drives the car into conditions when ESP is not enough, the demolition will be abrupt and already incorrigible.

I consider the handling situation in automobiles by analogy with the angle of attack and stall phenomena on the wing in aviation. At the same time, in general aviation, it is considered preferable that weak stall phenomena begin strongly before reaching critical angles, so that the aircraft has a characteristic shaking, swinging from wing to wing, etc.e. warned the pilot about the development of an unfavorable situation. If the wing works well up to the critical angle, and then abruptly breaks into a spin, this is considered unacceptable. I suspect that with ESP we are changing the sloping characteristic to a steeper one – despite the fact that the device (by analogy with the AOA indicator) where it would be possible to observe the control margin is not provided to the driver.

Then psychology works: we entered a turn abruptly – nothing happened, we went in faster – nothing happened again (well, the light blinked, well, something whistled – garbage!).This means you can drive the car even faster and cooler. Once again, for some reason (!) It loses control and flies into a ditch / oncoming lane …

Perhaps it would be better if the ESP worked in the lateral movement speed stabilization mode. That is, the car with ESP began to drag in the same way as an ordinary one, but up to a critical speed the process would never become an avalanche accelerating …

Consultations of physical education leaders. GUO “Nursery-kindergarten No. 4 of Mogilev”

Outdoor games with children in nature in summer

Summer is an amazing time when you can walk in the fresh air all day.In many families there is a tradition – on weekends to go out of town, to the forest, to the park, to the reservoir. Such trips are very useful and educational. For adults, it is important to fill them with entertainment, exciting activities, make them as diverse as possible for children.

Various games and exercises can help in solving this problem. I suggest that you familiarize yourself with some of them.

In the clearing you can play and practice using the elements of running, jumping, climbing.For example:

run one after another between the trees “snake”;

to run fast and very quietly along the path so that the crunch of branches underfoot is not heard;

run or crawl under low-growing tree branches, trying not to hurt them;

run between trees in different directions;

run or jump up and down the hill.

Good exercise for balance – walking along the trunk of a fallen tree, crossing a shallow and narrow ditch along a narrow bridge, a board.Where there are boulders, large stones, it is interesting to practice stepping from stone to stone.

Game “Fifteen (catch-up) on stones”

Depending on the terrain, the rules can be adjusted. For example, if you run between stones located far from each other, then you can save yourself by standing on them. A variation of the game – you cannot stain someone who stands on a stone on one leg …

This game is also carried out where there are many stumps of various diameters.You can save yourself from the tag if you jump onto a tree stump with one or two feet.

While walking, you can practice throwing at a distance and throwing at a target.

The best material for this is spruce and pine cones, small pebbles from the banks of a river or lake. Exercises for throwing at a distance are conveniently carried out in the form of competition “Who will throw next” . Circles on the water will help determine the winner.

Throwing at a target is interesting to practice by throwing cones into a certain space between tree branches, into an empty hollow, into a bucket or basket.In the reservoir, you can place a “squadron of ships” made of paper or pine bark, which can be attacked from a distance of 1-2 m with cones and pebbles. After the games, all ships, cones must be removed so as not to pollute the reservoir.

“Shoot the cones ”

On the stump 6 – 9 cones (acorns) are laid out in a slide. Participants in the game must try to knock down these objects with a cone. The winner is the one who does it using fewer throws.

“Fill in the hole”

Bumps are thrown into a small hole until the hole is filled.

“The magic wand”

In the middle of a small forest clearing, a stick is stuck into the ground. A driver stands next to her with closed eyes and a short stick in his hands. He counts loudly and slowly to 10, while the rest of the guys run up and hide. Having finished counting, the driver opens his eyes, knocks on the magic wand with the words:

The wand came – found no one!

Looking for children. Noticing someone, he says loudly:

A wand – a lifesaver … (name) found it and runs to a stick stuck in the ground.The found child also runs to the stick, trying to overtake the driver, first touch the stick and shout:

Help wand, help me out!

If he succeeds first, he stays in the game. If he does not have time, he is eliminated from the game. And the last player can quietly run up to the magic wand and say:

The wand is a lifesaver. Help everyone out!

Then all those eliminated from the game are returned to the game and are considered to be received.

“Who will run faster”

Children run on a signal to the specified place (tree, stump, bush). The winner is the one who completes the task first. The game is repeated 2-3 times.

Playing exercises with jumping

Jump from a fallen tree.

Jump on one or two legs, moving forward from tree to tree, around a bush, jump over heaps of cones.

Do not forget that instilling respect for nature in children, they should not be allowed to climb trees! This is generally contraindicated in children, as it is associated with pulling up on the arms, straining, holding the breath.Fallen trees are suitable for crawling, and low-growing tree branches for crawling.

When going for a walk, do not forget about playing with children!

In play, the child develops as a person!

“Sports corner of the house”

The child’s interest in physical exercises is formed by the joint efforts of educators and parents. The sports corner of the house helps to reasonably organize the leisure of children, contributes to the consolidation of motor skills acquired in preschool, the development of dexterity, independence.It is not difficult to equip such a corner: some manuals can be purchased at a sports store, others can be made by ourselves. As the movements form and the child’s interests expand, the corner should be replenished with more complex inventory for various purposes.

There are many ways to ensure the physical development of children: joint outdoor games and physical exercises, hardening, exercise, classes in sports clubs, family tourism, etc.

But the most optimal results in the physical development of a child at home can be achieved by combining joint outdoor games with classes at the home health and fitness center, which includes a variety of sports equipment and simulators.At the same time, the child receives a unique opportunity for self-training and self-study, regardless of weather conditions, whether the parents have free time.

The main purpose of the universal sports and recreation complex “Home Stadium” is the development of almost all motor qualities: strength, agility, speed, endurance and flexibility.

Classes at the sports and recreation complex:

– make the process of everyday physical education more emotional and diverse;

– selectively affect certain muscle groups, thereby accelerating the process of their development;

– allow you to achieve the desired results in a shorter time.

Adults Tips:

1. It is not recommended to engage in physical education in the kitchen, where the air is saturated with odors of gas, food, spices, drying clothes, etc.

2. When installing the complex, the swing of the swing and the crossbar of the trapezoid should not be directed to the window frame.

3. Make sure that objects that may break or hinder movement do not fall into the field of activity of children.Remove mirrors, glass and breakable objects from the immediate vicinity of the complex.

4. During the child’s exercise at the gym, put a mattress on the floor (it can be replaced with a thick carpet, gymnastic mat, trampoline, dry pool with balls). This is necessary in order to ensure the softness of the surface when jumping off the shells and to prevent the possibility of damage to the feet.

5. Cover the electrical outlets near the complex with plastic blockers.

6. It is advisable to ventilate the room where the sports complex is installed before and after classes.

7. Emotionally and motor overexcited children should not be allowed to exercise on the complex, because they cannot concentrate and control their movements. They should be reassured: offer to agree on the rules of the game, give a movement task that requires composure and concentration, turn on calm music, etc.

How do I provide insurance for my child during class?

Trust your child. If he refuses to do any of your assignments, do not insist or coerce him.

Support any reasonable initiative of the child: “Let me go down the hill now!” – “Let’s!”; – “Now let’s hang on the horizontal bar on one leg!” – “No. This cannot be done! (There is no need to go into long explanations of why this should not be done: it is impossible – then it is impossible!) But you can hang on the horizontal bar upside down, hooked with two legs, when I hold you tightly. “

Insure your child at the first independent attempts to master a new apparatus, especially when getting to know the rings and liana. As soon as the projectile is mastered by the preschooler confidently enough, take the position of an outside observer, praise his dexterity. When lifting the child up by the hands, never hold him only by the hands (the bones and muscles of the preschooler’s wrists are not strong enough yet), be sure to hold them entirely by the forearms. The safest form of belay: hip support.

When performing exercises on the crossbar, rings, liana, the position of the spine should be fixed. To do this, stand on the side of the projectile and place your palms simultaneously on the chest and back of the preschooler.

Strive to suppress the child’s recklessness and bravado, especially when doing exercises at heights: “And I can stand on the bar even without hands.” Teach him to be attentive and careful so that he takes care of his own safety.

Attention to parents: hanging only on hands is dangerous for your child.Therefore, replace long hangs on rings and liana with half-hangs, in which the child still rests his feet on the floor.

There are various ways to support your child’s desire to exercise. We bring to your attention little tricks that will help make homework interesting and useful.

Little tricks:

For classes, use as many aids as possible: toys, balloons, etc.They will help to attract attention, will stimulate children to perform a variety of exercises.

Clothing for classes does not play an essential role. However, if you want to strengthen the muscles of the foot and at the same time temper the child, then it is best to practice barefoot, in panties and a cotton T-shirt.

Play music to create a joyful mood. During classes, be sure to talk to your child, smile at him: “Well done, you’ve already climbed almost to the very top of the ladder!”

Exercises should be carried out in a playful way, especially with younger preschoolers.For example, an adult says: “Today we are going to visit a squirrel. Here are just her house far, far and high, high, at the very top of an old pine tree. (The following text is accompanied by joint performance of movements with the child.) First, we will go through the swamp (walking on sofa cushions), then we will go through a windbreak (walking, stepping over skittles, cubes), then we will crawl through a fox hole (crawling under two chairs put together ) and climb to the top of the pine tree. There the red-haired squirrel lives, waiting for us with you. “

Another form of work with older preschool children is to organize competitions according to the principle “Who will run as soon as possible” or organize a story game based on a literary work with physical exercises woven into the plot.

The average duration of physical exercises with preschool children at home is 20 – 30 minutes.

Gradually, joint physical education will become the happy events of the day, and the child will wait for them with impatience and joy.

Studying and playing with your child, helping him to pull himself up on his own, climb to the top of the ladder, jump over the cube, you give him the opportunity to admire you: “What my dad is strong! What my mother is clever! ”

INFLUENCE OF MORNING GYMNASTICS ON THE PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDREN

Children are known to be extremely energetic and mobile by nature. It is difficult for a child to sit still, monotony tires him.When a child is not busy with anything, he begins to run, fiddle, make noise. Parents often wonder where he got so much energy. Being constantly active is the natural state of a growing organism.

The organs of the human body act and develop in indissoluble mutual assistance. A child’s muscles make up about 40% of a child’s total body weight. Hence, it is clear what a great importance the correct activity of their children has.

During physical training: physical exercises, games, the child develops his muscular system.Muscular work enhances metabolism, increases the activity of the heart and lungs, and causes changes in the composition of the blood.

When a child moves vigorously – running or jumping, the blood flow to the muscles increases. They are more completely washed with blood, receive nutrients, and waste products of decay, “slags”, are removed from the body by blood. Exercise strengthens the muscles, becomes more elastic, the heart becomes stronger and more enduring. Thus, thanks to the movements, the entire musculoskeletal system is strengthened, the proportions of the body are formed.While contributing to the overall strengthening of the body, movement simultaneously affects the strengthening of the nervous system. And this is very important, because preschool children are often unbalanced, easily excitable. For a growing body to develop normally, it needs constant training. This is why movement is an absolute must for children. With a lack of movement, physical development is delayed, the child weakens, and is more often exposed to all kinds of colds and other various diseases.

Physical activity should be replaced by rest – only under this condition, sufficient accumulation of nutrients in the muscles will occur in the process of physical activity.

Insufficiently developed muscles, softness and elasticity of bones are one of the causes of curvature of the spine. Prolonged strong, age-appropriate muscle tension can lead to premature ossification and, consequently, stunted growth in children.

A child’s day should always begin with morning exercises. In many families, adults do gymnastics to music. Can preschoolers join them? Of course not.Exercises intended for adults are, in most cases, difficult and tiring for children. The complex of movements for adults is designed for significant physical activity, which is unbearable for a small child.

Strong back bends of the torso should not be used: they can worsen the child’s posture. Therefore, a special set of gymnastic exercises is selected for the child, providing for his physiological needs, features. Morning exercises give an effect when it is carried out not from time to time, but daily.

A systematic approach to gymnastics can be a valuable means of improving and educating a child. Gymnastics strengthens the child’s muscles, develops good posture, improves breathing and blood circulation, stimulates the work of all internal organs, breathing becomes deep, rhythmic, metabolism increases, all this improves the child’s well-being, increases appetite. In addition to health improvement, morning exercises also have educational value. It is not for nothing that morning exercises are called “Exercise”.She creates a mood for the whole day: a cheerful mood, raises vitality, brings the child’s body into a state of efficiency.

My jolly ringing ball!

Outdoor ball games for children up to 4 years old

Knock off the bottle! Place a plastic bottle on a raised platform and try to knock it down with a ball from some distance.

Down the hill! The child takes the ball in his hands and climbs up the hill with it.Then he rolls the ball down the hill, then rolls himself, catching up with the ball.

Hit the target! Take a baby bucket and try to hit it with a ball. Step back a little, increasing the distance between the player and the bucket.

My cheerful, sonorous ball! Throw the ball on the ground so that it bounces as high as possible. During the game, you can recite S. Marshak’s poem “The Ball”.

Two balls. Take two balls, large and small; put them at a short distance from each other (the younger the child, the shorter the distance).When rolling the small ball with your foot, try to hit the large ball so that the latter rolls.

Who knows more? Players stand opposite and, throwing a ball to each other, take turns listing the names of toys (animals, plants, household appliances, etc.).

Tricky ball! Place two pebbles (two sticks or small toys) on the path and try to roll the ball between them.

Hit the target! Draw a large circle on the wall – this is the goal.Step back 5-10 steps (depending on the age and skill of the child) and throw the ball at the target!

I love … If your little one already speaks well, you can play as follows. All players stand in a circle and pass the ball to their neighbor with the words “I love …”. For example:

– I love to play with a doll.

– I love to eat candy.

– I love swinging.

And so on.

Ball games develop coordination of movements, dexterity, eyes, and active outdoor activities strengthen the health of the child.

HARDENING OF FREQUENTLY SICK CHILDREN

Many parents really want to start tempering the baby, BUT … they just tortured different acute respiratory infections and acute respiratory viral infections. It seems that the child did not have time to recover, as he fell ill again … What to do? How to start hardening in this case?

Hardening of a frequently ill child requires, of course, great care and great patience, because a lasting effect is usually not achieved immediately.

First, the parents themselves need to stop being afraid to temper, and firmly decide that it is necessary.If there is at least some degree of doubt, then it is better not to start hardening.

Secondly, it is necessary to walk with the child in the fresh air for at least 2 hours every day. In any weather (well, except for severe frost and storm warning). Remember that a day without a walk is a lost day.

Third, stop wrapping up the child, both at home and on the street. Overheating, much worse than hypothermia. If a child sweats outside in cool weather, then this is a direct path to a cold.

Fourth, ventilate the room daily. In winter, up to 4-5 times a day, and in summer keep the window open at all times. Do not be afraid of open vents — cool fresh air is not an enemy, but a friend of a frequently ill child.

Fifth, exercise every day. It is good if the child does the morning exercises with his parents.

Sixth, tempering procedures should also be included in the child’s day regimen with the same obligation as eating, sleeping, walking.

Start hardening with air baths. Let the child run for 15 minutes barefoot in panties in the morning. For the first 7 minutes with your child, do gymnastics so that he warms up.

After charging and air baths, washing with COOL water. Start at 27 degrees, gradually lowering the water temperature to 14-16 degrees every day.

After washing – gargle with boiled water. In the first days with warm water – 36-33 degrees; every 7 days, reduce its temperature by 1 degree, bringing it to 18-16.This procedure is especially useful for weakened, often ill children. If the child is sick, rinsing is not stopped, but the temperature of the water should not be reduced. It is even better to gargle with warm water – one degree higher than before the disease.

Start contrasting the legs.
Two basins are placed with such an amount of water that its level reaches the middle of the lower leg. In one basin, the water should be hot 38-40 degrees, and in the other, during the first procedure, 3-4 degrees lower.The kid first immerses the legs in hot water for 1-2 minutes and flounders in the water, and then “jumps” into a basin of cool water for 5-20 seconds. So you can change hot and cool foot baths 3-6 times. Every 5 days, the water temperature in the second basin is reduced by 1 degree, bringing it to 17-12 degrees.