A cold runs its course in about a week no matter what you do. But there is a real difference between a cold you fight off in five days and one that drags for twelve, and most of it comes down to a few habits at home.

Sleep Is the One That Actually Matters

Your immune system does a lot of its work while you sleep. Cutting sleep short to push through a cold is the most reliable way to make it last longer. If there is one thing on this list to take seriously, it is going to bed early for a few nights.

Keep the Air Moist

Dry air dries out your throat and nasal passages, and that makes everything feel worse. A humidifier in the bedroom helps, or a pot of water sitting on the radiator. Aim for something around 40 to 50 percent humidity if you have a gauge.

Things That Help a Little

• Warm liquids. Tea, broth, hot water with honey. Mostly it is the warmth and the fluids.
• Saline spray. Cheap, safe, and it genuinely clears a stuffy nose.
• Honey for a cough, a spoonful or stirred into tea. For most adults it works about as well as over the counter cough syrup.
• Humidity plus rest beats any supplement I have tried.

What Does Not Help

Antibiotics do nothing for a cold, because it is a virus. Loading up on vitamin C after symptoms start has not held up well in studies. And pushing through a hard workout usually makes the next two days worse.

I used to try to work straight through every cold and they always lasted ten days. Now I take two days off properly and I am usually back to normal by day four.