# Why Should You Drink More Fluids With a Cold? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 27, 2003, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-should-you-drink-more-fluids-with-a-cold/164470 "2003-03-27T05:15:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jim\_B](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jim_b/32/4338_2.png) [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2003, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-should-you-drink-more-fluids-with-a-cold/164470/1 "2003-03-27T05:15:39Z")
I am just getting over a cold. My father unfortunately seems to have caught one–possibly the one that I had. And I guess you could call my question a two-part one: 1. Why do doctors always advise you to get pleny of fluids when you have a cold? And, 2. Does drinking more fluids in any way shorten the duration of the cold? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![kniz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@kniz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kniz)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2003, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-should-you-drink-more-fluids-with-a-cold/164470/2 "2003-03-27T05:29:19Z")
Because there is really very little a doctor can do about a cold and drinking plenty of liquids (water or fruit juice) can’t be bad for you. Just what the doctor ordered; advice that can’t cause a malpractice suit. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Tony\_Barber\_s\_Underwear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/58f4c7/32.png) [@Tony\_Barber\_s\_Underwear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tony_Barber_s_Underwear)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2003, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-should-you-drink-more-fluids-with-a-cold/164470/3 "2003-03-27T05:43:54Z")
I thought it was because snot and stuff has lots of water in it, and if you honk up enough of it, you can become dehydrated. -Bubba. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2003, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-should-you-drink-more-fluids-with-a-cold/164470/4 "2003-03-27T08:15:23Z")
_I_ thought it was because you sweat a lot when you have a fever. ---
**Author:** ![Pixiesnix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/898d66/32.png) [@Pixiesnix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pixiesnix)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2003, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-should-you-drink-more-fluids-with-a-cold/164470/5 "2003-03-27T08:17:32Z")
I thought it was to help your body fight the infection by flushing it out of your system? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2003, 8:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-should-you-drink-more-fluids-with-a-cold/164470/6 "2003-03-27T08:51:27Z")
When you are ill, the pathogens in your body often produce toxins and kill some of your cells, your immune system deals with the pathogens by (essentially)eating them, but a white blood cell can only eat so many pathogens before it is exhausted and dies. So you’ve got an elevated level of toxins, bits of dead cell and bits of dead pathogens floating around in your system; drinking fluids helps you to flush it all out. There is the whole sweating thing too, of course. ---
**Author:** ![kniz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@kniz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kniz)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2003, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-should-you-drink-more-fluids-with-a-cold/164470/7 "2003-03-28T00:22:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by scr4 \* > \*\*_I_ thought it was because you sweat a lot when you have a fever. \*\* Isn’t that a whole different thing? [ul][li] Feed a cold[/li][li] Starve a fever[/ul][/li]Nobody said anything about having a fever with a cold. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2003, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-should-you-drink-more-fluids-with-a-cold/164470/8 "2003-03-28T01:09:24Z")
Dehydration is a danger in nearly any infectious disease state. Extra fluids are lost thru fever, mucous drainage, diarrhea, coughing (which pulls a lot of extra moisture out of the lungs), and chills, to name a few mechanisms. Meanwhile the appetite is generally off, and fewer liquids are taken in. Not an optimal state to be in when healthy, much less when sick. And if you’ve got healthy kidneys, you really can’t take in too much fluids, as you’ll just pee them out. So it’s generally safe advice. So push fluids! Keep your secretions moist, your plasma volume full, your macrophages well hydrated! Unless you have renal disease which requires a fluid restriction; in which case check with your doctor. QtM, MD ---
**Author:** ![voguevixen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5ac83/32.png) [@voguevixen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voguevixen)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2003, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-should-you-drink-more-fluids-with-a-cold/164470/9 "2003-03-28T05:08:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Qadgop the Mercotan \* > \*\* > Keep your secretions moist…! \*\* Ahhh, Qadgop…how close I came to losing fluids nasally! So often in a medical/health-related thread I look forward to you being the voice of reason and someone who also actually knows what they are talking about. I’m curious…do you have a website, a la the Bad Astronamer? ---
**Author:** ![voguevixen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5ac83/32.png) [@voguevixen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voguevixen)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2003, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-should-you-drink-more-fluids-with-a-cold/164470/10 "2003-03-28T05:10:36Z")
or, “Astron **O** mer” for those who are keeping score. ---
**Author:** ![kniz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@kniz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kniz)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2003, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-should-you-drink-more-fluids-with-a-cold/164470/11 "2003-03-28T05:13:43Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Qadgop the Mercotan \* > \*\* So it’s generally safe advice._\* [ul]🆒 [sup] **Exactly my point!** [/sup][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2003, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-should-you-drink-more-fluids-with-a-cold/164470/12 "2003-03-28T05:28:58Z")
It’s to keep General Ripper from nuking you. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2003, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-should-you-drink-more-fluids-with-a-cold/164470/13 "2003-03-28T17:21:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by voguevixen \* > \*\* I’m curious…do you have a website, a la the Bad Astronamer? \*\* I thought _this_ was my website? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2003, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-should-you-drink-more-fluids-with-a-cold/164470/14 "2003-03-28T17:45:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Keep your secretions moist, your plasma volume full, your macrophages well hydrated! Am I the only one who heard the “Star-Spangled Banner” playing in the background of this? At any rate, words to live by. Plus, the exercise of frequent trips to the toi-toi keeps your legs from developing blood clots. Regards, Shodan