# The worst part of having a cold is... **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 27, 2008, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-part-of-having-a-cold-is/450781 "2008-05-27T17:07:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2008, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-part-of-having-a-cold-is/450781/1 "2008-05-27T17:07:29Z")
…when your ears plug up and you try to unplug them and one unplugs but the other doesn’t or they both unplug but they unplug unevenly so you’re sitting there holding your already red and sore nose trying to equalize the pressure and not quite getting it and then when you finally do get it you cough or sneeze or move your head a quarter of a goddamn inch and one of them blocks unequally again. Who’s with me? ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2008, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-part-of-having-a-cold-is/450781/2 "2008-05-27T18:47:33Z")
Not me. The worst part of having a cold for me is that I get so congested that I can’t breathe through my nose at all, which means that my mouth is open all the time just so I can breathe. At night it’s the worst because assuming I can get to sleep at all, all that mouth breathing makes me run out of saliva several times during the night, and I usually wake up feeling like I’m choking because my throat dries up, and I hack myself awake, stumble into the bathroom to get a drink of water then get back in bed and try to fall asleep again, only to repeat the process about 90 minutes later. Every night until I get better. Sucks. ---
**Author:** ![beanpod](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9adbd/32.png) [@beanpod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beanpod)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2008, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-part-of-having-a-cold-is/450781/3 "2008-05-27T19:43:42Z")
Those are both pretty bad. What I hate is that lightheaded headachey feeling and the way everything tastes like aluminum foil. Without that, the stuffy nose is tolerable. Barely, but tolerable. I also hate when your eyes are watering so much that eventually the outside edges around your eyelids are burned from the salt and the wiping. It’s more irritating than a sore nose. Doesn’t seem to matter how softly you wipe, either. ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2008, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-part-of-having-a-cold-is/450781/4 "2008-05-27T19:55:50Z")
The worst part is when you feel like hell, but not bad enough to stay home and thus have to suffer through a work day. (Ugh, at least another hour before I can take more medicine. I hate today.) ---
**Author:** ![Audrey\_Levins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Audrey\_Levins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Audrey_Levins)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2008, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-part-of-having-a-cold-is/450781/5 "2008-05-27T20:02:47Z")
THE UNREALIZED SNEEZE. And then the unbearable aching of your sinuses, and the instantly watery eyes, and the feeling of helpless rage that follows. And let’s not forget the way the tears also run through the congested side of your nose, so that your nose is literally DRIPPING and you can’t even sniff to stop it. I was at work and had a cold a couple of weeks ago where this went on literally every half hour, to the point that customers assumed my pet had died or my boyfriend and I had broken up. “What’s WRONG, Audrey?” All of my makeup melted off so my mascara was in puddles and my nose was so red I could’ve led Santa’s sleigh and I was so miserable and pissed off that I’m sorry for anybody drinking at my bar that night. Sure it’s “just a cold.” But dammit they can ruin your day. :mad: 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Ghanima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Ghanima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ghanima)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2008, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-part-of-having-a-cold-is/450781/6 "2008-05-27T20:10:41Z")
Yeah, the unequalized ear thing SUCKS. Definitely the worst thing about having a cold. But the second worst is when you have a cough for a week straight and eventually every time you cough your entire head throbs with an instantaneous coughing migraine. Cough - OW. Cough - OW. Desperately try not to cough…hold it back…building…_cough hack wheeze hack couygh cough_ OW OW OW OW OW! ---
**Author:** ![kevja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/aeb1de/32.png) [@kevja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kevja)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2008, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-part-of-having-a-cold-is/450781/7 "2008-05-27T20:18:19Z")
not being able to sleep through the night that lethargic feeling like you’re wearing a cement overcoat during day and the nasty angry edgy feeling ---
**Author:** ![scout1222](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/34f0e0/32.png) [@scout1222](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scout1222)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2008, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-part-of-having-a-cold-is/450781/8 "2008-05-27T21:15:12Z")
Losing my sense of taste because my nose is plugged up. I enjoy the taste of food, and funny enough, eating food I can’t taste just isn’t satisfying. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2008, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-part-of-having-a-cold-is/450781/9 "2008-05-27T21:25:31Z")
The dry heaving cough I get at the end. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2008, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-part-of-having-a-cold-is/450781/10 "2008-05-27T23:00:14Z")
**Otto** , my soulmate! I am experiencing these dreadful symptoms right now and was musing over posting a thread about it. Thanks for beating me to it. The worst part? Let’s see… Everything above. The weird, damp, organic squeaky noise I sometimes hear inside my ear I when I am completely congested and I try to swallow/move my jaw. Being so congested I practically can’t swallow - trying to do so creates a tugging sensation through my nasal passages. Being on an airplane that’s starting to land when your ears are too clogged to clear. The pain at the time, the deafness afterward. The smell of my own mucus stuck way up inside my head. Irritated skin around the edge of my nostrils from too many swipes with a tissue. Sore ribs from coughing so much. But other than that, nothin’ much. > [@](#): > > Originally posted by **Audrey Levins:** I was at work and had a cold a couple of weeks ago where this went on literally every half hour, to the point that customers assumed my pet had died or my boyfriend and I had broken up. “What’s WRONG, Audrey?” Yeah, I had a meeting with my boss yesterday and he knew I needed to rant about some stuff, so he took me out to Starbuck for a cup of coffee. The two of us were sitting there probably looking like a couple (we’re roughly the same age) and there I am, speaking passionately and blowing my nose all the time. I bet a lot of people thought he was breaking up with me or something! ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2008, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-part-of-having-a-cold-is/450781/11 "2008-05-28T00:27:49Z")
Even worse than the simultaneously runny/completely stuffed nose, not getting a good night’s sleep (with coughing added), delaying recovery. ---
**Author:** ![Hedda\_Rosa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hedda_rosa/32/1204_2.png) [@Hedda\_Rosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hedda_Rosa)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2008, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-part-of-having-a-cold-is/450781/12 "2008-05-28T01:27:48Z")
The ears, yes! I clicked into here to say just that. I hate flying for the same reason. ---
**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:** [May 28, 2008, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-part-of-having-a-cold-is/450781/13 "2008-05-28T06:23:30Z")
The unending coughing. Coughing till you can’t even breathe, and you have to force an occasional inhale between coughs. Coughing so much that the muscles around your ribcage are sore. Coughing till you start having dry heaves. Coughing till you see stars and almost pass out. This past winter I had a bad case of bronchitis. I coughed from late January to mid-April. And I’m still not entirely over it.