How to Tell If It's a Cold or the Flu

Cold symptoms are restricted to the upper respiratory tract. This means you usually feel pretty good from the shoulders down. The flu, however, comes on quickly and produces a sick feeling throughout the whole body. Read on to discover how you can tell if you have the flu or just a common cold.

If the onset of symptoms is gradual, chances are you have a cold. We usually start to feel a tickle in our throats and then the next day we begin sneezing or coughing. These symptoms usually pile up until we have a full blown cold. The flu, however, has an abrupt and dramatic onset. We usually start feeling sick all over and all at once, from the upper respiratory system all the way down. This is a clear symptom of the flu and proves you probably have more than just a common cold.

If you have a cold, you'll begin to experience a "drippy" nose. This means it will probably be running constantly or close to it. If you have the flu, on the other hand, chances are you will experience congestion. Sometimes this congestion will be severe and you'll be unable to get anything out. With a cold, the nose will run and drip and can also be congested. If you have the flu, you'll probably only experience the congestion.

When you have a cold, your throat will be scratchy. In fact, most colds begin with a scratchy feeling in the throat. If you have the flu, you won't experience this scratchy feeling and instead, your throat will be sore at the onset.

If you have the flu, you will have a severe cough that may linger for quite some time. With a cold, your coughing will decrease as your symptoms go away and you may only experience light coughing throughout the entire experience.

You may experience a headache with both the common cold and the flu. However, with a cold it will only be a light headache from the congestion. If you have the flu, you may experience a severe headache that doesn't go away and may be accompanied by fever.

The flu also brings on symptoms that you won't have with a common cold such as muscle aches, chills, fever, and sensitivity to light, fatigue and loss of appetite. These symptoms will be absent if you only have a common cold but are almost always present when you have a case of the flu.

If you are still unsure whether or not you have the flu as opposed to a common cold, you should consult your doctor or health care provider immediately