# How long do your colds last? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 12, 2009, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-do-your-colds-last/521035 "2009-12-12T22:33:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2009, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-do-your-colds-last/521035/1 "2009-12-12T22:33:06Z")
Wednesday afternoon I noticed a ‘tickle’ in my throat. On the drive home I deduced that I was coming down with a cold. Wednesday I definitely had one. The ol’ snot locker was draining, and I was coughing up phlegm. Fortunately it was a telecommuting day. Thursday was the same, and I decided to work from home again. I advised my boss Thursday afternoon that I was sick, and she told me not to come into the office Friday. (Her granddaughter is coming out for Christmas, and she didn’t want to become infected.) So I telecommuted Friday too. Not only was my nose running and was I coughing, but I wasn’t feeling 100% either. I’m feeling better today, though I did have to take some Dayquil earlier, and I’m snorting nasal spray three or four times a day. I’m thinking I’m just past half-way through the infection. How long do colds last for you? ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2009, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-do-your-colds-last/521035/2 "2009-12-12T22:39:15Z")
I just had one which lasted virtually an entire month. For some odd reason I am picking up all sorts of crud (often from my students, natch) that, in the past I used to shake off easily, but now the stuff just lingers for days on end… ---
**Author:** ![C3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/c3/32/3108_2.png) [@C3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C3)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2009, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-do-your-colds-last/521035/3 "2009-12-12T23:26:13Z")
My son has viral-induced respiratory stuff (too young for an asthma diagnosis and they think he’ll grow out of it, anyway). When this first started happening, the doctor told us that we could expect cold viruses to peak between 3 & 5 days. I’d never really thought about it before, but since, I’ve found that that’s pretty accurate. Any given cold I’ve had is at its worst point on day 3 or 4 and then I start to feel better. On the other hand, I’ve had this weird coughing thing going on. My nose and head are clear and I’m not coughing anything up. It’s like coughing spasms, a tickle in my throat. I’ve been doing this for four weeks now. It’s a lot better than it was a week ago and I think it’s on its way out, but this has been the longest lasting virus I think I’ve ever had. ---
**Author:** ![PeskiPiksi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e495f1/32.png) [@PeskiPiksi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PeskiPiksi)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2009, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-do-your-colds-last/521035/4 "2009-12-12T23:52:42Z")
Yeah, I’ve got some long-term thing going on, too. Started out as a sore throat which lasted a couple of weeks, but I wasn’t tired or run down or anything, so it wasn’t a big deal. Then about two weeks ago it morphed into the full-blown nose running, head stuffy, can’t-stop-coughing mess. Head has cleared a little, but I still have the cough. Went to the doctor earlier in the week (I’m pregnant, so was going anyway), and he gave me some antibiotics, but they haven’t made a bit of difference so now I regret taking them. I guess I just have to let it run its course. Sucks being eight months pregnant, sick, and trying to mother a two-year-old. To answer the OP more accurately, though–my colds usually follow a pretty regular pattern. Sore throat on day one. Day two, it moves to my head with a runny/stuffy nose and sinus yuckiness. Day three or four it moves down to my chest. I’m almost always feeling a lot better by day five, even though the cough might linger a little. ---
**Author:** ![Hanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b3f665/32.png) [@Hanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hanna)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2009, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-do-your-colds-last/521035/5 "2009-12-13T02:08:04Z")
I don’t get them often, but I just got over one that lasted nearly 2 weeks. I was truly miserable for about 3 days, but a lingering cough held on even after I started feeling nearly normal. It got so bad that my ribs hurt from coughing, and it was very hard to sleep. Luckily I didn’t run a fever, but I felt like crap for awhile. ---
**Author:** ![Maiira](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Maiira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maiira)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2009, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-do-your-colds-last/521035/6 "2009-12-13T06:01:24Z")
They usually last for like a month. Well, the majority of the really icky crap (severe congestion, sore throat, fever) will be over within a week or so, but the smaller annoyances (drippy nose, minor congestion) tend to stick around. I think my immune system is crap. ---
**Author:** ![Dragwyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dragwyr/32/2855_2.png) [@Dragwyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragwyr)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2009, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-do-your-colds-last/521035/7 "2009-12-15T04:06:16Z")
This year, the 2 colds I’ve had have lasted about 2 weeks, each. Last year, I had 2 colds, they each lasted just over a month. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2009, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-do-your-colds-last/521035/8 "2009-12-19T13:55:45Z")
Since I always go to the Doctor, no more than a week. Most of my “colds” are not really colds, but bacterial infections. I find this is the case with a lot of people. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2009, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-do-your-colds-last/521035/9 "2009-12-19T19:45:30Z")
I don’t even remember the last time I had a cold, but I’m guessing about a week. I do, however, get chronic sinusitis which is . . . well . . . chronic. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2009, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-do-your-colds-last/521035/10 "2009-12-19T19:56:10Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Since I always go to the Doctor, no more than a week. Most of my “colds” are not really colds, but bacterial infections. I find this is the case with a lot of people. Which bacteria were cultured? Can you share your data on those other people, too? I generally notice a “tickling” in my throat, first. And feel especially sensitive to cigarette smoke or strong odors. The next day, there’s a sore throat & fever. The third day, nose running like a faucet. Possible mild achiness any of these days, but I generally _don’t_ have all the regular cold symptoms all at once. Then I start feeling better. Sometimes I have a dry bronchial cough afterwards. Always think I’ll see a doctor if the cough lingers more than a week–but it never has. Last winter, I had the sore throat on a Thursday & took Friday off. Sat on the couch for three days, vegging out to TV, drinking soup & orange juice. (Vitamin C? Don’t know–but cold OJ feels good on a rough throat.) Ran through a box of kleenex on the “nose running” day; since there was nobody to annoy, I didn’t bother with a pill to dry myself up. Back at work on Monday feeling OK; my co-workers were grateful, although I probably got the cold from one of them. No bronchitis that time. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2009, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-do-your-colds-last/521035/11 "2009-12-19T20:30:36Z")
> [@C3](#): > > My son has viral-induced respiratory stuff (too young for an asthma diagnosis and they think he’ll grow out of it, anyway). When this first started happening, the doctor told us that we could expect cold viruses to peak between 3 & 5 days. I’d never really thought about it before, but since, I’ve found that that’s pretty accurate. Any given cold I’ve had is at its worst point on day 3 or 4 and then I start to feel better. > > On the other hand, I’ve had this weird coughing thing going on. My nose and head are clear and I’m not coughing anything up. It’s like coughing spasms, a tickle in my throat. I’ve been doing this for four weeks now. It’s a lot better than it was a week ago and I think it’s on its way out, but this has been the longest lasting virus I think I’ve ever had. [Lost track of this thread] That’s exactly what I had. Only enough throat irritation to make me hack, but in the strictest sense of the term it wasn’t painful at all. Had some phlegm and a runny nose, no fever, but the thing just would not the fuck go away (a solid month like I said). A number of coworkers and students got it too apparently. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2009, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-do-your-colds-last/521035/12 "2009-12-19T20:43:19Z")
I’ve only now noticed that the first word in the OP should be Tuesday, not Wednesday. :smack: So: First indication I was ‘coming down with something’ was Tuesday afternoon. The peak was Friday. Sunday the symptoms were mostly gone. ---
**Author:** ![sleeping](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/839c29/32.png) [@sleeping](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sleeping)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2009, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-do-your-colds-last/521035/13 "2009-12-19T23:35:11Z")
I can’t remember the last time I had a cold. Has to be at least March 2008. And the last time I had a _work-inhibiting_ illness was September 2004, when I had flu-like symptoms and an awful eye infection. I got the regular flu and H1N1 shots this year, but given my track record I’m not concerned about getting sick either way. ---
**Author:** ![EpicNonsense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c37758/32.png) [@EpicNonsense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EpicNonsense)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2009, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-do-your-colds-last/521035/14 "2009-12-20T00:44:25Z")
A day, at most… runny nose and sore throat being about my only symptoms. I’ve never been sick, really, other than food poisoning and appenticitis. I can hang around people with the flu or bad colds and never pick them up. ---
**Author:** ![rhubarbarin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eb9ed0/32.png) [@rhubarbarin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhubarbarin)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2009, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-do-your-colds-last/521035/15 "2009-12-20T03:18:18Z")
They used to last for weeks when I was sickly. Now I am extra-healthy - they only cold I’ve gotten in the last 5 years lasted for two days (one where I was ‘coming down’ with it, one where I was majorly congested, then I was fine the next day). ---
**Author:** ![gladtobeblazed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85f322/32.png) [@gladtobeblazed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gladtobeblazed)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2009, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-do-your-colds-last/521035/16 "2009-12-20T03:26:59Z")
5-8 days usually, although I had a cold once that lasted for about 3 weeks.