Table of contents:
- Rest at home when you have flu and colds to avoid catching the disease
- So, how long do I have to rest at home before I can do activities again after catching the flu?
- The more severe the symptoms, the longer you will need to rest at home
You are advised to take time off or leave work and rest at home when you have a cold or flu. Apart from being susceptible to being transmitted to other people, various symptoms of flu and colds can be very annoying and interfere with your daily activities. So, how long does it take to rest so that you can return to your activities? Here's the explanation.
Rest at home when you have flu and colds to avoid catching the disease
You may think that you recently had the flu and colds because you are just experiencing flu and cold symptoms now - such as congestion and runny nose, fever, and headaches. In fact, transmission of the virus that causes flu can even occur before symptoms appear. Yes, you can catch the flu even since you haven't had the flu.
Reporting from the Health page, according to Margarita Rohr, MD, an internal medicine specialist at NYU Langone Health, flu transmission lasts for at least 5 to 7 days after flu symptoms begin. This transmission can last longer in children and people whose immune system is weak, up to more than seven days.
Flu transmission begins when you start to feel a fever. Even if you have no cold symptoms, airborne particles that contain the flu virus can already be passed on to other people when you cough, sneeze, or talk. The reason is, the air saliva that contains the virus can spread as far as four meters from the range. This is why the flu is the disease most easily spread and transmitted to others.
So, how long do I have to rest at home before I can do activities again after catching the flu?
Although the impression is trivial, flu and colds should not be underestimated. This disease is very easily transmitted to other people, especially if the people around you have a decreased immune system.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that you stay rested from the first time you feel symptoms until 24 hours after the fever clears, without taking any fever-reducing drugs.
However, if your fever has gradually decreased after taking fever-reducing drugs - such as ibuprofen or paracetamol - but the fever returns after the medicine runs out, you are not actually getting better. This means that you can still pass the disease on to other people.
How quickly you recover from a cold or flu depends on each person's immune system. Some people who catch the flu take at least 7 to 10 days for the illness to heal. Flu symptoms may last only a few days, but usually the aftermath of the illness lasts more than two weeks.
The more severe the symptoms, the longer you will need to rest at home
Experts generally agree that people with the flu should spend more time at home as long as they have severe symptoms, such as cough with phlegm, vomiting, diarrhea, fever, or fatigue. The reason is, these symptoms will be very likely to be transmitted to other people.
Immediately consult a doctor if your flu symptoms do not go away. Because, it is feared that there is the possibility of secondary infection or certain complications in your respiratory system, for example pneumonia or other respiratory diseases.
If you have a really bothersome flu, rest at home at least until your fever has subsided. Apart from preventing infection, it aims to speed up your healing and recovery process. Choose foods that are good for consumption during the flu, such as warm soup, banana, or honey to speed up the healing process. Don't forget to get enough rest so you can get back healthy and be active as usual.
