Sleep in. "When you don't get enough z's, your immune system doesn't work as efficiently because it's not getting all the fuel it needs," says Aric Prather, Ph.D., an assistant professor of psychiatry at Weill Institute for Neurosciences at the University of California, San Francisco. The more you sleep, therefore, the more energy your body has to send to your immune system, and the faster you can bounce back from your cold.
Sweat it out. Head to the gym for a 30-to 60-minute workout. "Most cold viruses can survive only in temperatures around 98.6 degrees," says Richard Martin, M.D., a family medicine physician at Geisinger Health System. "A fever is your body's natural way of killing a virus, and working out accomplishes the same thing," he says. It's best to exercise before your symptoms have peaked, however. If congestion is making it hard to breathe or if you already feel feverish, skip it. (FYI here's how to know whether you should sweat it out or skip your workout.)
