The common cold causes a person to feel tired and out of commission, especially when it comes to work and everyday tasks, MedlinePlus indicates. A person suffering from a common cold may feel like lying down and resting a lot. A sense of malaise often sweeps over a cold-sufferer, forcing him to work at a slower pace.
Stuffy Nose
A stuffy nose can cause a person to be unable to breathe properly. It impedes the ability to taste food and enjoy a meal. Many people feel like eating only soup when they have a cold. The person suffering from a cold will tolerate fluids better than solid foods, MayoClinic.com indicates. A stuffy nose also forces the sufferer to breathe through her mouth.
Cough
The continual nagging cough that goes with a common cold can keep a person from breathing properly and from talking for long periods. The throat needs rest when a cough continues. Over-the-counter cough medicines may help soothe the throat and ease the cough, MedlinePlus indicates.
Fever
A fever may occur with a cold, MedlinePlus reports. Usually a low-grade temperature prevails, but over-the-counter pain reducers will help with this symptom. Both analgesics, such as acetaminophen, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, including ibuprofen, aspirin and naproxen, can work to reduce fevers. Increased fluids in the diet also help a person to lower a fever he has acquired as a result of the common cold.
Chest Congestion
Chest congestion occurs when the mucus enters the upper airway and the nasal passages continue to have swelling, MayoClinic.com states. A postnasal drip may also occur, making the symptoms appear more like the beginning stages of a worsening cold. Someone with chest congestion can get relief from over-the-counter cold and sinus medications, which may make a person feel better.
Problems Sleeping
The person suffering with the common cold may have problems sleeping at night because of the symptoms of a cold, such as a stuffy nose, a cough and chest congestion, MedlinePlus indicates. Over-the-counter medications that help with symptoms also may help with sleep.
