how do colds work?

can one night in a coldish room bring on a runny nose the next morning or is that a cold that was already in the making?? furthermore, what can i do to relieve the runny nose so baby can sleep better? he's still in pretty good spirits and no fever.

You don't get a cold from anything except viruses that cause it. You don't get a cold from cold temperature itself. However, if the feet and torso are cold this can decrease resistance. So if there is a cold going around, being cold can make it easier to contract the disease.


Sleeping in a cool rooms (18-20 degrees, 20-22 for very young children) is actually a good idea. Better sleep. Just make sure feet and torso are warm with pajamas, socks, covers etc. Contrary to what many people think, hands are not supposed to be warm (unless of course the temperature in the room is HK summer). If they are, the child is too warm. Hands are supposed to be cool or lukewarm. If the upper arms or torso are cold though, the child is too cold. A cool head is also good, and feels good besides. The exception would be the under 8 weeks crowd that may need a cap if temperatures are "low" (under 18-20 degrees).


A bit of a runny nose can have plenty of causes. Allergies for example.


Relieving runny nose. Raise the top of the bed 15 cm or so. This helps mucus flow downwards away from the head while sleeping. You can also make a tea from a cinnamon stick, a piece of fresh ginger and a teaspoon of honey (brown sugar for children under 12 months) to relieve symptoms. Of course, be careful with the honey/sugar just before bedtime.


If your child is in good spirits and has no temperature you pretty much just wait for the whole thing to blow over.




BTW I have noticed many Hong Kongers say "I have the flu" when they actually have a cold. If you have the flu you have a fever and your joints ache. You would not be out and about, and you would definitely feel too sick to go to work.

Yes to everything axptguy said, plus one addition: when my kid has a runny nose [now for example], she does better with relatively high humidity in the room [prob more important for Beijing than HK] and the air con running.