Does someone in your surroundings suffer from a common cold? Chances are likely that you are next. On average adults catch two to four colds annually. However, children struggle more often and can suffer six to nine colds per year. Due all kinds of viruses floating in the air and constant development of new viruses, the body never builds up resistance against all those viruses.

The common cold is caused by a number of different types of viruses. These viruses enter the body through the eyes, nose and mouth causing inflammation in the nasal, throat and sinus passages. Signs and symptoms, which vary from person to person, might include a runny and stuffy nose, sneezing, coughing, sore throat, headache and sometimes people even get a slight fever. Fortunately, most symptoms pass after the week.

You can catch a cold if someone near you sneeze, coughs or even talks. This allows contaminated saliva droplets to escape which you could inhale. By sneezing, viruses can travel a distance of 8 meters and can stay in the air for hours. Moreover, transmission can occur through direct contact. Think about shaking hands with someone who has just coughed or sneezed, or an object that is often touched.

Colds sometimes seems inevitable. Maintaining your immune system up by sleeping well, exercising a lot and preventing stress is not always easy, but it is possible to reduce the risks of infection: