Frame from the series “The Big Bang Theory”
A person can catch a cold at any moment – often we do not even notice that we are standing in a draft or next to a coughing person in a public place. As a rule, after infection, a cold makes itself felt after 3-4 days, because it takes some time for pathogens to multiply inside the body. It is difficult to predict how the coming disease will proceed – sometimes a cold passes quickly, but in some cases it causes suffering to a person for a whole week or even more. Recently, scientists conducted an experiment and found that predicting the severity of a cold is still possible – for this, it is necessary to regularly take a test to assess brain function.
Why and how people get colds
Scientists from the University of Michigan (USA) have recently taken up the prediction of the severity of a cold in people. They conducted an eight-day experiment in which 18 people of different sex and age took part. For the first three days, they were asked to take tests three times a day to assess attentiveness, reaction time, and switching between tasks. On the fourth day, the volunteers were exposed to the human rhinovirus (Rhinovirus), which is the most common causative agent of the common cold.
Rhinoviruses are the most common cause of the common cold.
After infection, the participants in the experiment washed their noses on their own so that scientists could change the number of viral cells – by their concentration it was possible to find out how much a person was sick. Volunteers were also asked to record the severity of cold symptoms: chills, cough, headache, runny nose, and so on. It turned out that the volunteers who scored the lowest in tests for brain function, as a result, shed more viral particles and were more sick.
It turns out that the work of the brain can determine how severe the next cold will be
Новое научное открытие: Ученые рассказали, почему люди простужаются на холоде
How to predict the severity of a cold
The authors of the scientific work came to the conclusion that the deterioration of cognitive functions directly indicates the weak protection of the body from diseases. This means that if a person suddenly begins to think worse, then the next cold will be more difficult than usual. On average, the duration of a cold in people is about 7 days, but if the body has strong immunity, the disease can recede much earlier. Conversely, if a person’s defense systems are weakened, the disease can last for a couple of weeks. In any case, in order to carry out the correct treatment, it is necessary to consult a doctor.
On average, a person’s cold will go away about a week after the onset of symptoms.
To predict the severity of a cold using cognitive tests, they should be taken every day, preferably three times a day. This is due to the fact that not a single person knows at what point he will become infected with cold viruses – this can happen even at home, after the arrival of guests. The authors of the scientific work are well aware that no one will be tested daily throughout his life, just to find out how badly he will get sick. Perhaps someday a convenient application will be created for regularly assessing brain intelligence, but at the moment such a service does not exist.
You still need to solve puzzles, at least sometimes
You can also fix the decline in the cognitive abilities of people if you monitor the change in the speed of typing on a computer. There is another option – tracking the speed of reading e-books. Once your brain slows down, you can take steps to boost your immune system by taking vitamins or other supplements.
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Stages of a cold that everyone has
It is worth noting that each cold is conditionally divided into three stages. At the beginning, a person feels a slight sore throat, weakness throughout the body and a runny nose begins – this means that the disease has begun and it is time to take measures to treat and reduce the consequences. The second stage of a cold is considered the most severe, because a person’s body temperature rises and strength goes away – during this period, it remains to lie on the bed and drink medicines in order to prevent complications. The third stage of a cold is the most inconspicuous, because a person begins to gradually come to his senses – the membranes of the upper respiratory tract are restored in him and over time he fully recovers.
Every person goes through three stages during a cold.
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Especially often people catch a cold in spring and autumn. There are many reasons for this: during these periods, people often dress inappropriately for the weather, they lack vitamins, and viruses and other pathogens live longer than usual. On our website there is an article about each of these factors – you will also find a quick reminder on how to get sick less often. Here’s a link.
