One of the biggest questions that people ask when they start to feel sick is, “Do I have a cold or a flu?” Sometimes people do not know how to tell the difference, but they only start to wonder once they feel sick. The thing you should remember is that flu symptoms can be much more serious than a cold and they are both caused by different types of viruses. Here we will talk about some of the ways that you can tell the difference between cold and flu symptoms. You will see that the most important thing you can do is go to a doctor in order to determine if you have one or the other.
One of the things that can help you tell the difference is how fast the onset of your symptoms was. If you felt horrible very suddenly, then you may have the flu if the other symptoms agree with this diagnosis. You should still make sure to talk to a doctor, and find a thermometer. If you use a thermometer and you realize that you have a fever of 100-102 degrees, then you may indeed have the flu. There are other cold and flu symptoms to be aware of.
If your muscles are hurting you a lot, then you probably do not have a simple cold. If you find that you cannot bring yourself to get out of bed, there is also a chance that what you have is not a cold at all. Extreme fatigue and muscle soreness are signs of having the flu, as is a bad and consistent headache. You still want to take your temperature and talk to a doctor, but if you experience all of these things then it may be the flu and you should get help soon.
If your nose is stuffy and your throat is sore, then you might have a cold. If these symptoms took a few days to fully settle in and you don’t have a fever, you almost definitely have a cold. There is not much you can do in this case except to take medicines that can help with your symptoms.
If you have a bad cough, it will be hard to tell whether this is due to a cold or the flu. Cold and flu symptoms are different in some cases, but when it comes to a bad cough, it can be hard to tell the difference. If the cough progresses into bronchitis or becomes intensely painful, then you most likely have the flu rather than a cold. However, only a doctor can tell you for sure.
When you are trying to tell the difference between cold and flu symptoms, this information can help you to an extent. If you take your temperature and have a fever that lasts a few days, you should definitely talk to your doctor. In some cases, people talk of the cold and flu as if they are interchangeable. Since they come from different sources and involve different symptoms, it is not wise to use the words interchangeably. Only the flu can be life-threatening, and only when it progresses too far. This is why you should talk to a doctor if you have a fast onset of flu symptoms.
