Can you drink coffee and tea during cold? Doctors give answer
Drinking coffee and tea while having cold (photo: freepik.com)
Warm drinks are considered beneficial during respiratory illnesses such as cold or flu. However, does tea or coffee make it to the list of helpful warm drinks? The answer to this question is provided by Huffpost.
As various studies show, hot and warm drinks can help alleviate symptoms such as fatigue and sore throat. Additionally, a cup of a warm beverage is soothing during the fight against a virus.
However, in the case of coffee, there are a few nuances. The sharpness of this drink makes it not very beneficial when you are sick.
"So, caffeine is a stimulant, and while it’s probably not going to have any impact on the clinical courses, either of a cold or flu or COVID or RSV ... the stimulant nature of caffeine may be counterproductive," said Suan Hassig, an associate professor emerita of epidemiology at the School of Public Health at Tulane University in New Orleans.
Coffee keeps you awake, but your body needs rest when sick
This can complicate getting the necessary rest. The same applies to energy drinks, which often contain much more caffeine than a cup of coffee.
"Too much caffeine can be bad for you whether you’ve got a cold or flu or not," emphasized the expert.
Coffee can lead to dehydration
"If it’s more than a mild illness, we want to be careful when we’re consuming caffeine because it’s dehydrating, it has a mild diuretic effect,” said Dr. Daniel Monti, the chair of the Department of Integrative Medicine and Nutritional Sciences at Jefferson Health in Philadelphia.
Recent studies show that this nuance does not apply to everyone, as people who regularly drink coffee in moderate amounts do not feel dehydrated from this beverage. Any dehydration due to its diuretic nature is observed in those who are not accustomed to caffeine and consume it in large quantities.
So, if you drink coffee occasionally or not at all, it's worth giving up this beverage during illness.
If your illness is accompanied by vomiting, diarrhea, or nausea - focus on hydration and drink plenty of water, avoiding coffee.
Coffee can cause stomach upset
Coffee can cause accelerated stomach peristalsis and hasten bowel movements. Therefore, it is not advisable to insist on this drink during a cold.
"Some of these infections, not so much the cold, but the flu, can sometimes cause gastrointestinal symptoms as well, and aggravating that whole system from the stomach through the gut is just not a good idea," notes Dr. Hassig.
So, if you experience any stomach or intestinal issues during illness, refrain from your usual cup of coffee.
Completely giving up coffee is not necessary.
It's not necessary to give up your favorite beverage if you're used to drinking it regularly. During illness, you should reduce its quantity or limit it entirely if your condition leaves something to be desired.
"There’s nothing wrong with having a cup of coffee, certainly in the first half of the day if that’s something that keeps you from having a non-caffeine headache or otherwise just helps you get going. But you should moderate your consumption because of the stimulant effects of caffeine, and you need to rest when you’re sick," experts assert.
And what about other drinks?
During respiratory illnesses, doctors recommend choosing drinks that will hydrate your body.
"It is very important to make sure that you maintain a good level of hydration, but plain water or organic fruit juices is a perfectly appropriate way to do that - water is actually best in that regard because it provides the body with what it needs most, which is the fluids to counteract the illness," says Hassig.
Dr. Monti recommends drinking hot herbal teas and warm broth during illness. He added that green tea would be a good alternative for those who love coffee and want an energy boost.
Earlier we wrote about tips on how to fall back asleep if you wake up in the middle of the night.
This material is for informational purposes only and should not be used for medical diagnosis or self-treatment. Our goal is to provide readers with accurate information about symptoms, causes, and methods of detecting diseases. RBС-Ukraine is not responsible for any diagnoses that readers may make based on materials from the resource. We do not recommend self-treatment and advise consulting a doctor in case of any health concerns.
