How many colds/year are "normal"?
 

Does anyone have any info/thoughts about how many colds is normal/average for someone in good health living in temperate latitudes? I've had two in the last few months when I started my first flying job and although I can't say whether this is more than I used to have, I am certainly more aware of them because of the need not to fly. I know I am at a disadvantage as I have two small kids who are magnets for anything that's going in our village so that doesn't help. I am just a little concerned that my employer will see my sickness record as being less than desirable so any thoughts on what most people get in the course of a year would be appreciated.

I'd heard 5-6, although most should be minor enough to not keep you from work.

But you're right - it's your kids that are doing for you! Not much you can do until they're teenagers though.

I've also been sick more often this year than ever and its a pain when you need to fly. Something that works for me - i bought a bottle of 500mg vitamin C tablets. everytime I start feeling like i'm on the verge of getting a cold, i take 2 every 2 hours for the first day and then i take 3 a day after that until its gone. So you zap it before it becomes serious:ok:

Look at the Office for National Statistics website. Last time I looked, I think it said 2-3 for an adult. There is loads of information there about sickness and work lost due to sickness.

My three are all >12 now, and it does seem as though we've all been getting fewer colds in the past few years.

I get about 1/2 a year I think, but I don't travel on public transport very often, and I work on my own, from home. My wife is also homebased, so it's only the kids that really bring the bugs in. We do live quite an active/outdoor lifestyle, which has to help.

Two years ago our central heating was off for the first 8 weeks of winter (plenty of heat in the playroom from the log-burner, and fairly mild), and none of us got a cold. heating back on, and then the colds came..

According to my "clinical support system" (it's a bit like an autopilot), anything up to 8 a year is considered normal.

The problem is one cold sometimes runs into the next, and they tend to linger on and on, making you feel pretty lousy.

Most symptoms can be treated at home, and are medically insignificant. Knowing when to seek help is the trick. I'll try and post a link to some patient information websites.

Try Prodigy or the no hope service . I use these regularly- the info appears quite reliable.

Thanks for the replies. So it looks like it'll be a few years yet before the kids will not be quite so accommodating where germs are concerned. Mrs. Style and myself are currently discussing the pros and cons of adding to the family (she's for, I'm against) so this will be good ammo for my cause.

I am sure having re-circulation systems is a big bonus if you want to be exposed to every bug known to man;de-hydration, fatigue etc must also be a big help to the immune system.To add to this, in "certain" companies everyone is "encouraged" to go sick as little as possible,resulting in 10 people going sick because they sat next to a sniffling wreck for 4 sectors, rather than one person, wisely, going off sick for a coupla days; really bright on the company's part that.Personally I find if I catch a cold coming up to a week of early starts I'm stuck with it, on late's I might shake it off. I recently tried a homeopathic product "oscillococcinum" (try saying that with a cold) which is marketed (in France at least) by Boiron,and have, so far, found if you can start the treatment just as you are starting to get the very first feeling of getting a cold that it actually works,but then again so might a Glenmorangie,or indeed a good nights sleep. The first winter I worked for Ryanair I was constantly sick (and "of course "still flying).One of the old lags explained to me it was just my body acclimatising to a "different class" of bug;he may have had something there ,every year since I have been OK!