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It may give you little comfort to know that most of the symptoms of a cold are caused, not by the cold virus attacking you, but by your body’s immune system attacking the virus. In other words, you feel worse because you’re getting better.
Enter the virus: In a sneak attack you have no way of detecting, cold viruses enter the upper respiratory tract through the nose or are transported there through the eyes.
The viral attack: Viruses that do not get entrapped and flushed out by the tiny hairs and mucus that line the nasal passages can penetrate the layer of mucus and attach themselves to cells in the throat, where they multiply and disperse throughout the nose and throat. At this point, you still have no reason to suspect an impending cold.
Body cells fight back: Within an hour of the viral attack, throat cells injured by the virus launch a counterattack, releasing chemicals that trigger inflammation and attract white blood cells to fight off the infection. As a result, the tissues become red and begin to swell, though you probably are still unaware of what lies ahead.
Reinforcements arrive: White blood cells called macrophages— the “gobblers” of the immune system—arrive to engulf the invading viruses. This attack triggers the release of several infection-fighting proteins.
Symptoms blossom: About a day after the throat cells become infected, the developing inflammation causes a sore throat and the defensive proteins that are released induce chills and muscle aches. These proteins also combine with blood in the nose to cause nasal swelling—that unmistakable feeling of congestion—and a runny nose. The excess mucus, in turn, can trigger a cough.
Symptoms subside: The immune system begins to get the upper hand within 3 to 7 days of the viral invasion. Inflammation subsides, mucus production gradually returns to normal, and you start to feel significantly better.
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