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We all experience aches and pains, but unexpected achy joints can be an early symptom of the flu. If your body hurts and you feel tired, call it quits and spend a day or two in bed. Long periods of sitting or standing can make it worse, so taking a day off or working shorter days is a good strategy to minimize pain and keep you productive at work in the long run.

You've just woken up, your throat feels scratchy and your nose is blocked. When your child is the one who’s sick, you face the double concern of missing work and having your child miss school. “I can’t stress it enough — going to work while sick is bad for you and potentially worse for your colleagues. Staying home to rest will help you to manage your illness and prevent others from getting infected,” said Scott Wooder, MD, president of the Ontario Medical Association in Canada. Some people never show symptoms but can still give it to others.
When Should You Stay Home From Work?
American adults typically come down with two to three colds per year. If you have asthma or COPD or if you take steroids for a medical condition, you have an increased risk of complications from the common cold. You have to miss out on fun with family and friends, and you may feel compelled to stay home from work. But the good news is taking a sick day may not be necessary. Most GPs agree with Fenton that in the majority of cases, you likely don't need to take a sick day for a minor cold.

There are no hard and fast rules on the symptoms that definitively mean you must stay at home. "As working professionals, we all feel the need to be at work and meet deadlines," he says. For the employee who is really struggling with a bad cold, a couple of days off work will probably be to their advantage.
How to get rid of the common cold in 24 hours - Experts share 4 simple steps that could help
If it’s 101 F or higher, wait until your child is fever-free for at least 24 hours before sending them back to school. There are millions of cases of these upper respiratory infections every year. And colds are the biggest reason kids miss school and adults miss work. Employees with school-aged children may need to stay home to care for their children. Employers should review leave policies for the flexibility to allow employees to stay home if they need to care for their children or other household members.
"However, while these are symptoms of a cold, rather than Covid-19, you may still want to stay home if you can’t keep your distance from other people as you could pass on your cold. Dr Sarah said that if you have a cough or any symptoms of the coronavirus then you should stay at home and request a test. THIS TOOL DOES NOT PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE. It is intended for informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Never ignore professional medical advice in seeking treatment because of something you have read on the site.
Exercising in winter can be hard but your immune system will thank you
Resting the body and feeding it nutritious foods is a great way to help you recover. And if that means treating your cold symptoms with a cold medicine while you’re resting in bed under a blanket, so be it. Your colleagues will thank you for not infecting them and you’ll feel better sooner.

Excessive use of sick days may catch your boss's attention, and could lead to you getting in trouble. When you call in sick, it is usually on short notice and can leave your boss scrambling to cover your duties. The need for extended absence due to a more severe illness may qualify you for the Family and Medical Leave Act . It allows eligible workers to take up to 12 weeks off from work. There are steps you can take now, and during the flu season, to help protect the health of your employees. These days, companies are much more flexible with sick days.
Cold, Flu, & Cough Home
Other members of a household should also self-isolate for 14 days from the point when symptoms first appeared. "If it’s positive, you need to self-isolate for at least 10 days and all your close contacts need to self-isolate for 14 days from the last time they were in contact with you." The NHS states that one of the key symptoms of Covid-19 is a new persistent cough. Use of this website and any information contained herein is governed by the Healthgrades User Agreement.
To limit frostbite, make sure all body parts are well covered. Could a £650 enzyme drip finally banish post-Covid fatigue? Health minister makes plea as up to 10,000 nurses strike today on eve of... It unblocks your nose and allows you to breathe with ease, but Dr Clarke admits experts themselves are not 100 per cent sure why it works. But stumping up the courage to venture outside for a brisk walk really could help, experts say.
In a recent Patient.info survey of 261 doctors, only 10% of respondents said they would always recommend their patients take time off for this type of illness. Some workplaces have policies and procedures around notification of sick days, but there's no law or requirement that sets out that you need to do it via phone, text message or any other method. Whether you're training for a fun run or trying to lose weight, feeling you're coming down with a cold or flu can trigger a dilemma. "One is to rest and recover, in which case people should be guided by their symptoms — fatigue, fever, feeling unwell," she says. Even health professionals are often guilty of working sick. Here's when to stay home from work if you have a cold or flu, and why you should.
If you're very sick or your symptoms get worse after a week, call your doctor. If you've been sick for a few days and you now cough up darker yellow mucus, it's still probably just a cold. But if it goes on this way for more than a week, it's a good idea to see your doctor.
Along the Front Range, wind chill is predicted to drop to minus 30 degrees, according to the National Weather Service’s Boulder office. Summit Cove Elementary School students board school bus following the last class of the day amid cold temperatures, Thursday, Dec. 15, 2022, in Dillon. Forecasters warn wind chill could drop to as low as minus 50 degrees over the northeast plains Wednesday night. The Common Cold Centre at the University of Cardiff found that the spicy dish helps you salivate, reducing your coughing and sore throat symptoms. Getting plenty of rest and staying hydrated are two of the best, proven ways to get back to feeling 100 per cent. Do not take advantage of sick days to tend to matters for which a personal or vacation day would be more suitable.
