Is it possible to drink coffee when you have a cold?
Doctors usually recommend avoiding coffee during illness, as it can increase the load on the heart, and tachycardia is harmful to a weakened body. In addition, caffeine dehydrates the body, so there is a risk that the patient will not drink enough fluids, in which case the drink will actually be harmful. Another reason is to increase vigor, and when you have a cold, it is advisable to rest more, fall asleep, etc. It is easier for doctors to prohibit than to explain the rules and hope for the patient’s consciousness.
However, not so long ago scientists recognized that coffee can be beneficial for colds: it contains many biologically active substances (chlorogenic acid and its derivatives), which are an antiviral agent. In addition, caffeine is in some way a diuretic, which means that if you drink a lot of liquid in addition to it, toxins will be more actively removed from the body.
One or two cups a day will not hurt, and will even help fight the disease and improve the overall tone of the body. Considering that many people suffer from illness while working, your favorite drink will give you energy and help you concentrate on important matters and tasks.
You can only drink coffee if you have a cold if the temperature does not rise above 37.5 - 38 degrees. In this case, it will really negatively affect the heart. But when the peak of the disease passes and the temperature drops, you can brew yourself a cup again.
FOOD AGAINST BACTERIA
You need to follow a diet for the first three days of illness. At this time, ARVI is at the peak of its activity:
- The temperature, although decreasing, is still elevated
- nose is running
- my eyes are crying
- the throat is sore.
A properly composed diet will be a good support for your body during this difficult period. Slight increase in temperature, lacrimation, runny nose, cough. Of course, this is a cold, but scientifically, ARVI is an acute respiratory viral infection.
Did your doctor give you this diagnosis? Then, in addition to the prescribed pills and mixtures, use another effective remedy - a special diet. With its help, you will be able to defeat a cold faster and avoid complications.
The “wellness” menu, first of all, should include drinks. After all, it has long been known that drinking plenty of fluids is an excellent help in the fight against colds. It removes toxins that are formed when the body fights the virus.
During illness, you need to drink 2-3 liters of fluid per day. Therefore, next to your bed - on the nightstand or dressing table - there should always be a filled jug. The very sight of the drink will excite thirst - and you won’t have to forcefully drink the required amount.
For those who have caught a cold, acidified drinks are primarily useful. It could be:
- weak tea with lemon
- plain water
- fruit drinks.
Cranberry and lingonberry fruit drinks are still beyond competition. Because these berries contain special antibacterial acids. For variety, you can indulge in factory-made juices from time to time - grapefruit and orange are suitable. If the mucous membrane of the oral cavity is irritated - ARVI occurs against the background of stomatitis - it is better to replace citrus drinks with apple or peach.
If you have a cough, prepare an alkaline drink. An old proven remedy is hot milk with Borjomi or other mineral water. This drink promotes the removal of phlegm. But try to give up strong tea and coffee during your illness. These drinks put extra strain on the heart and contribute to dehydration.
What kind of coffee can you drink when you have a cold?
Only freshly ground and freshly brewed coffee, from which the active substances have not yet evaporated, has all the beneficial properties. It is better to brew it weakly, you can add various spices, or even make a special “anti-cold” coffee.
- Coffee with cinnamon . It is especially useful if you need to restore strength after a high fever has subsided, or at the beginning of an illness, when you just feel a sore throat and sore throat.
- Coffee with cardamom . Cardamom is an almost obligatory component of most cough mixtures. It not only has a positive effect on the heart, but also improves the tone of the entire body.
- Coffee with star anise . Star anise, also known as anise, has been familiar to many since childhood precisely because it is included in most cough mixtures. Anise soothes coughs, relieves hoarseness, and can even restore your voice.
- Coffee with lemon and honey . Helps remove swelling from the face, clear the airways, and improve immunity. The drink should not be strong, and lemon and honey should be added to a warm, not hot drink.
Instant coffee drink is harmful, especially for a sick, weakened body. Avoid it, it won't do any good and may only make your symptoms worse.
When is coffee dangerous when you're sick?
It is unsafe to drink coffee if you have ARVI or fever. Doctors recommend taking the “dark continent” drink only during a mild cold. It is easy to harm a weakened body; it is much more difficult to recover. Giving up the usual amount of coffee will speed up recovery and strengthen the immune system.
A drink at room temperature in the early stages of a cold or during the recovery period will speed up the return to your normal lifestyle. Until recently, it was believed that coffee should be excluded from the diet if you have a cold. In 2021, scientists refuted this judgment. This pleased many lovers of the drink from the “dark continent”.
You need to take your favorite medicine according to the recommendations of specialists and do not increase its daily dose. In order to help yourself recover, you should drink only natural grain coffee; the instant analogue does not contain any beneficial properties.
Coffee recipe for colds
If you feel like you’re starting to get sick, have a sore throat, a cough or runny nose, support your body with this healthy drink made from available ingredients.
Pour coffee into a Turk (to make a weak drink), fill it with ice water and put it on the fire. You need to remove it when a head of foam just begins to form. Add salt and ground red pepper on the tip of a knife, as well as 2-3 grams of butter. Return to the heat again until foam appears, pour into a cup and drink in small sips.
Keep in mind that this is a drink for an incipient cold, and if the sore throat is serious, it is better to choose a less “burning” recipe. And be careful in the evening, the “anti-cold” drink noticeably invigorates, and it is recommended to drink it 5-6 hours before bedtime.
What can you eat when you have the flu?
You definitely need to know what you can eat when you have the flu and a cold. Thanks to this, it will be possible to create the right therapeutic diet, which will speed up the healing process.
During flu and colds, it is recommended to eat the following foods:
- garlic. The vegetable contains allicin. This substance has a detrimental effect on bacteria and viruses;
- chicken bouillon. It has a positive effect on well-being. Fights neutrophil cells that cause congestion and inflammation;
- The diet must include foods high in zinc. These include nuts, seafood, eggs, meat;
- If you don’t know what to eat for a cold, then pay attention to spices. They make breathing easier and constrict blood vessels. Increases sweat separation. For colds, ginger, mustard, coriander, and cinnamon are especially useful;
- fruits and vegetables high in vitamin C - tomatoes, citrus fruits, peppers and many others;
- fruits and vegetables with increased levels of beta keratin, magnesium, folic acid. This list can include such vegetables and fruits as cauliflower, beets, carrots, grapefruit, kiwi, tangerines and many others;
- foods rich in vitamin E - almonds, nuts, fish oil, peanuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and others;
- food that is based on bioflavonoids - onions, broccoli;
- products with flavonoids - lemon, raspberries, peppers, lingonberries, grapes.
It is worth noting! During a cold, it is recommended to eat small meals - optimally 4-5 times a day. Portions should be small. Small amounts are digested much easier, and thanks to short breaks, the feeling of hunger does not occur.
Conclusion
- You can drink coffee for a cold if the patient’s temperature does not rise above 38 degrees;
- Chlorogenic acid contained in coffee is a natural antiviral agent;
- Be sure to drink plenty of other fluids when you are sick, and caffeine will help flush out toxins along with it;
- Instant coffee is harmful, it is better to drink natural, freshly ground and freshly brewed coffee, and make it weak;
- Add spices, lemon or honey to your coffee - they will help restore strength and recover faster.
Interacts with some medications
Coffee also interacts with some medications, so you should avoid coffee if you are taking one of them.
In particular, caffeine may enhance the effects of stimulant medications such as pseudoephedrine (Sudafed), which is often used to relieve cold and flu symptoms. It may also interact with antibiotics you may be taking if you have any kind of bacterial infection (,).
Again, coffee drinkers may tolerate these medications well while drinking coffee because their bodies are accustomed to its effects ().
However, you should talk to your doctor before drinking coffee with these drugs.
Another option is to drink decaffeinated coffee while taking these medications, since the caffeine in coffee is the cause of these interactions. While decaf coffee contains trace amounts of caffeine, such small amounts are unlikely to cause drug interactions ().
Conclusion:
The caffeine in coffee can interact with stimulant drugs such as pseudoephedrine as well as antibiotics. You should talk to your doctor before drinking coffee while taking these medications.
Once again about the main thing
Even if you were unable to get through the cold season painlessly, this is not a reason to give up your favorite drink. The main thing is not to abuse it.
Do not drink coffee if your body temperature exceeds 38C - the condition will worsen.
When the temperature returns to normal, prepare it from lightly roasted grains. The essential oils contained in them “evaporate” during intensive frying, and some of the antiseptic properties are lost.
Due to the strong inflammatory process, accompanied by irritation of the mucous membranes, drinking it is also not recommended for sore throat. The components of the drink dry out the mucous membrane of the throat even more, and it itself increases the loss of fluid by the body.
Avoid coffee if you are prone to allergic reactions. It is distinguished by fairly high allergenic activity. Allergy symptoms - redness of the eyelids, runny nose and dry cough - are easily “masked” as a lingering cold and complicate treatment.
Inappropriate use...
Excessive consumption of coffee, black and green tea really “delays” recovery. These drinks contain caffeine, an alkaloid that stimulates the production of the “stress” hormones adrenaline and cortisol. Excess of them suppresses the immune system.
The second argument against it is that after the body temperature “exceeds” 38C, the heart begins to work harder. A cup of coffee will turn the conditions for his work into extreme ones: the next surge of adrenaline “accelerates” the heart to 120-130 beats/min!
And, of course, the stimulating effect of the alkaloid on the nervous system. Because of this, drinking coffee for a cold that requires quiet time in a warm bed also seems inappropriate.
But look at the recipes for symptomatic cold remedies. Many of them include a combination of paracetomol with vitamin C and caffeine. The first two components eliminate symptoms. Caffeine increases the availability of paracetomol and ascorbic acid for the body and relieves headaches.
So is it possible to drink coffee if illness occurs?
