High school is a petri dish of sicknesses, and everywhere you go you are attacked by germ after germ no matter how much scented hand sanitizer you use. No matter how hard the custodians work, germs will continue to threaten us from the moment we open the germ-coated door to the bathrooms to the rarely-cleaned Chromebooks. It is almost impossible to not get sick.

However miserable being sick is, there are a few things that can make you feel better as your body takes revenge on you.

The two most common symptoms are a runny/stuffy nose, and a cough, which are also some of the most annoying things to deal with.

For the runny, and stuffy nose a quick release is a nasal rinse. A popular, and highly rated brand is NeilMed. You do have to be careful because tap water can give your nose infections, so it highly recommends you boil the water, and then let it cool completely before adding the cleansing powder, and pouring it up your nose. This is nice because it clears your nose, allowing you to breathe, and cures your snifflings for a while.

Hot Chocolate, coffee, tea work wonders when your cough is making your voice hoarse. No one likes to sound like they have been smoking for 40 years, so this is a nice relaxing way to ease those symptoms. There is nothing quite like a steamy cup of caramel flavored hot cocoa to soothe your throat. Chicken noodle or other types of soup provide the same relief.

A scratch that is nearly impossible to itch is the one in the back of your throat. It never seems to go away, and you can’t just reach back and itch it. Never fear the answer to that is to gargle salt water. According to the Mayo Clinic mix ¼-1/2 tsp salt to 1 cup water, and gargle then spit out. This should help.

The only thing worse than a itchy throat is a sore throat. You can get medicine from the drugstore to battle it. Or some home remedies would work as well. Warm lemon water. Medical News Today say to mix one cup of water with one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and an optional tablespoon of honey. You can also try a small spoonful of coconut oil, either just putting in directly in your mouth, or adding to your favorite cup of hot drinks listed above.

As Utah is ridiculously dry it can make having a cold that much worse. Using a humidifier can work miracles. I personally use one while I sleep to help me breath even when I am not sick.

If you are any type of sick the best thing you can do though is get lots of rest (that means taking a few days off of work. You health is more important than money), and drinking lots of liquid, or more specifically water.