What to Do at the First Signs of a Cold

A scratchy throat or slight fatigue in the evening is often your body's earliest warning, hours before full symptoms arrive. This is the window where rest actually changes the outcome, not after you're already flat on your back.

Sleep an hour earlier, drink more water than usual, and cancel anything non-essential for the next day. Pushing through at this exact moment, running errands or squeezing in one more meeting, is usually what turns a one-day cold into a week-long one.