# Got a cold? "Drink lots of fluids." Really?! Why? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 11, 2014, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-a-cold-drink-lots-of-fluids-really-why/706907 "2014-12-11T02:24:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-a-cold-drink-lots-of-fluids-really-why/706907/1 "2014-12-11T02:24:04Z")
I’ve heard this advice given for as long as I can remember and I have no idea where it came from. Is there any medical legitimacy to the claims that lots of fluids will somehow lessen the severity and/or duration of a cold? If so, what is it exactly? The only thing even remotely beneficial I’ve been able to find that is explicitly attributed to fluids is a thinning of the mucus; which can make it easier to cough up. To me, this just sounds like bs medical “lip-service” when there is really _nothing_ that could be legitimately recommended to treat a cold, other than time and rest, but they feel pressured into saying _something_ and extra fluids are harmless (plus it’s always good to be hydrated). I may be wrong though, which is why my question is here. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-a-cold-drink-lots-of-fluids-really-why/706907/2 "2014-12-11T02:34:38Z")
Certainly the logic is as simple as that viral infections may be associated both with fever and decreased appetite: using up fluids evaporating off the skin and calories with the fever while taking less in. Increased fluids may help with both. [But the evidence is lacking.](http://www.thecochranelibrary.com/userfiles/ccoch/file/CD004419.pdf) ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-a-cold-drink-lots-of-fluids-really-why/706907/3 "2014-12-11T02:40:42Z")
I know when I’m really congested with a cold that I mouth breathe a lot and am blowing my nose a lot so I get pretty dehydrated and my mouth a throat feels gross. If I keep up fluids my nose clears easier (more fluid so blows easier) and I don’t get really bad headaches from bring dehydrated. It just makes me feel better. ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-a-cold-drink-lots-of-fluids-really-why/706907/4 "2014-12-11T03:01:31Z")
When you have a cold you produce lots of mucus, which I imagine must deplete your body’s water reserves. So, you need to drink more water to replenish them. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-a-cold-drink-lots-of-fluids-really-why/706907/5 "2014-12-11T03:03:30Z")
Dubious. Show me studies. ETA: To be clear, im not saying that having a cold may not necessitate a slight increase in fluid intake but that increased fluid intake has a positive effect on a cold. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-a-cold-drink-lots-of-fluids-really-why/706907/6 "2014-12-11T03:08:27Z")
Here’s a study: [http://journal.publications.chestnet.org/article.aspx?articleid=1683608](http://journal.publications.chestnet.org/article.aspx?articleid=1683608) Abstract: > [@](#): > > asal mucus velocity and nasal airflow resistance were measured in 15 healthy subjects before and at 5 and 30 minutes after drinking hot water by sip or straw, hot chicken soup by sip or straw, and cold water by sip. A sham drinking procedure with straw was also employed. Hot water by sip increased nasal mucus velocity from 6.2 to 8.4 mm per min, hot chicken soup by sip from 6.9 to 9.2 mm per min, and chicken soup by straw from 6.4 to 7.8 mm per min five minutes after administration. These increases were statistically significant compared to cold water, hot water by straw and sham. All values returned to their baseline at 30 minutes except cold water which significantly decreased the nasal mucus velocity from 7.3 to 4.5 mm per min. There were no significant changes from baseline in nasal airflow resistance 5 and 30 minutes following the above treatments. We conclude that drinking hot fluids transiently increases nasal mucus velocity in part or totally through the nasal inhalation of water vapor. Hot chicken soup, either through the aroma sensed at the posterior nares or through a mechanism related to taste, appears to possess an additional substance for increasing nasal mucus velocity. Finally, hot liquid might be superior to cold liquids in the management of fluids in upper respiratory tract infections. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-a-cold-drink-lots-of-fluids-really-why/706907/7 "2014-12-11T03:30:07Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > Here’s a study: > > [http://journal.publications.chestnet.org/article.aspx?articleid=1683608](http://journal.publications.chestnet.org/article.aspx?articleid=1683608) > > Abstract: Ok, yeah that seems to say what i mentioned in the OP; that fluids (hot fluids especially) can make mucus thinner and easier to cough up. But you don’t hear “drink hot beverages”, you typically hear “increase your clear liquids”, which it seems wouldn’t have much of a “thinning” effect on mucus. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-a-cold-drink-lots-of-fluids-really-why/706907/8 "2014-12-11T03:31:25Z")
There aren’t any.\* People tend not to pay for studies to find free home remedies effective. Don’t want to drink? Don’t drink. Just keep an eye on your skin turgor and tear and saliva production. If you get thirsty, drink. I do tend to tell most people (not those on fluid restriction, obviously) to eat brothy soup and drink fluids, particularly hot ones, like lemon and honey with the tea of their choice, primarily because it tends to make people feel better to “do something.” Really, I could tell them to sacrifice a rooster at the crossroads, and it would make them feel better to be doing _something_. Because I’m a nurse, I’m supposed to be tending to their emotional and psychological needs as well as their physical ones. Because I am also expected to practice evidence based medicine, I don’t tell them it will \*cure \*their cold. Indeed, I usually say something like, “Well, you know what they say…treat a cold and it will last 7 days, leave it be and it will last a week. But do get some rest, and many people find that warm liquids make them feel better. Chicken soup and Hot Toddies for you, m’dear!” \*Okay, \*\*IvoryTowerDenizen \*\*found one. From 1978. With 15 subjects. Not exactly an overwhelming landslide of evidence. But it does bear out what most of us have experienced, even if no one’s done a lot of study of it: hot fluids get your nose running faster and may, very temporarily, make you feel better. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-a-cold-drink-lots-of-fluids-really-why/706907/9 "2014-12-11T03:37:41Z")
Thanks **Whynot**. That was basically my take on the matter. ---
**Author:** ![typoink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@typoink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typoink)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-a-cold-drink-lots-of-fluids-really-why/706907/10 "2014-12-11T03:56:49Z")
I think there’s a risk of dehydration when people have colds, because sore throats and coughs may cause some people not to drink. Anecdotal, but staying hydrated for me seems important in keeping me from feeling worse in the mornings. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-a-cold-drink-lots-of-fluids-really-why/706907/11 "2014-12-11T04:19:25Z")
Fever and diarrhea cause loss of fluids, so it’s important to drink lots of fluids to prevent dehydration. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-a-cold-drink-lots-of-fluids-really-why/706907/12 "2014-12-11T04:36:42Z")
> [@scr4](#): > > Fever and diarrhea cause loss of fluids, so it’s important to drink lots of fluids to prevent dehydration. Diarrhea? Like “diarrhea of the nose” or something? ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-a-cold-drink-lots-of-fluids-really-why/706907/13 "2014-12-11T04:41:34Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > Diarrhea? Like “diarrhea of the nose” or something? What’s a “diarrhea of the nose”? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-a-cold-drink-lots-of-fluids-really-why/706907/14 "2014-12-11T04:43:41Z")
> [@scr4](#): > > Fever and diarrhea cause loss of fluids, so it’s important to drink lots of fluids to prevent dehydration. Bingo. Plus you lose salts. So chicken soup with salt. You do not want to get dehydrated and have your electrolytes go awry as that can cause heart problems. I once had a case legal where a guy with a minor heart problem got food poisoning from chicken and was “losing liquids” without sufficient replenishment and he died of a heart attack caused by dehydration while on an airplane. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-a-cold-drink-lots-of-fluids-really-why/706907/15 "2014-12-11T06:12:06Z")
> [@scr4](#): > > What’s a “diarrhea of the nose”? > 😕 It was a joke. I was confused as to why diarrhea was being introduced into a discussion about the common cold. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-a-cold-drink-lots-of-fluids-really-why/706907/16 "2014-12-11T12:13:54Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > It was a joke. I was confused as to why diarrhea was being introduced into a discussion about the common cold. [Rhinorrhea](http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhinorrhea). The 'rrhea suffix is all about flow, be it out your ass, nose, or vagina (menorrhea). Have a drink. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-a-cold-drink-lots-of-fluids-really-why/706907/17 "2014-12-11T13:10:12Z")
I always figured the bit about drinking fluids was to replenish what you lost when dripping and sneezing, seeing as how being even mildly dehydrated would tend to make you feel lousier. And if someone is fussing over you brinking you a drink or hot soup, the sense of being cared for probably has a nice placebo effect. > [@WhyNot](#): > > People tend not to pay for studies to find free home remedies effective. Actually, there are numerous studies on home remedies (whether cheap or free)…not just fluids for cold sufferers, but on everything from ear candling to gall bladder “flushes” to [chicken soup](http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/10/12/the-science-of-chicken-soup/?_r=0). Pub Med searches are good for finding them. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-a-cold-drink-lots-of-fluids-really-why/706907/18 "2014-12-11T13:53:47Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > ETA: To be clear, im not saying that having a cold may not necessitate a slight increase in fluid intake but that increased fluid intake has a positive effect on a cold. Six of one, half a dozen of the other, isn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-a-cold-drink-lots-of-fluids-really-why/706907/19 "2014-12-11T13:55:48Z")
There is also a very practical reason that health care providers suggest stuff like this. It gives us something harmless to suggest for people to actively do which can possibly help stave them off from doing things that have more potential to cause harm or have costs. Chicken soup? May help. Sure feels like it does. Minimally they need to eat and drink anyway and it reminds us being taken care of as kids. (Secret is the soup has to made with love.) And it beats putting people on unneeded antibiotics or advising them to use over the counter cold remedies which generally don’t work and which actually have some potential for harm. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-a-cold-drink-lots-of-fluids-really-why/706907/20 "2014-12-11T14:39:44Z")
Isn’t that what \*\*Whynot \*\*said so eloquently in #8? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-a-cold-drink-lots-of-fluids-really-why/706907.md?page=2)