How to know the difference between allergies and a cold

• Both colds and allergies cause sniffling, sneezing, and congestion.
• Allergies cause itchy eyes and nose while a cold causes headaches, body aches, and a fever.
• The common cold typically lasts 7 to 10 days while allergies last longer, especially in spring.

There's a lot of overlap between cold and allergy symptoms, and it's not always easy to tell what's causing your sniffles. "But there are some clues," says David Cutler, a family medicine physician at Providence Saint John's Health Center. Here's what you need to know.

How to tell the difference between a cold and allergies symptoms

First, consider the symptoms. Colds and allergies both lead to sneezing, sniffling, and congestion, Kristine Arthur, an internist at MemorialCare Medical Group, says. But there are some key symptoms that set each illness apart. 

Got an itchy sensation in your eyes or nose? That's a tipoff you have allergies.

On the other hand, if you're suffering from a headache, body aches, and a mild fever, those are signature symptoms of a cold, not allergies.

And while it might be gross, take a good look at your snot. If it's thin and clear, you probably have allergies. But if it's thick and discolored, then it's probably a cold, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Keep track of how long you've felt symptoms

In addition to identifying what your symptoms are, keep track of how quickly they came on and how long they've lasted. This is also helpful to figure out whether you have allergies or a cold.

Often a person will feel OK for long periods before the cold's nasal and throat symptoms fully set in, Cutler says. And a cold typically lasts three to 10 days — although it can stick around for several weeks — according to the Mayo Clinic. 

By contrast, allergies ramp up more quickly and symptoms tend to last for as long as the allergen is present.

So while your body will eventually recover from a cold in 7 to 10 days, you'll continue to suffer from allergies as long as you're exposed to what's triggering them. And that brings us to the final clue: the season. 

Notice what time of year it is

A common allergy for many is hay fever, which is an allergy to plant pollen. It will usually strike from February through June when blooming plants distribute their pollen. But the exact timing can vary depending on when plants bloom and release pollen. To suss out if the pollen counts are high where you live, check out the pollen map on the National Allergy Bureau website.

If sniffles hit during the wintertime — and particularly if people around you have similar symptoms — odds are you have a cold or the flu, not allergies, Arthur says.

How to treat allergies and a cold

Allergies are caused by your body's immune system responding to a commonplace trigger, like pollen or cat dander. To fight off the trigger, your immune system releases chemicals called histamines that cause an allergic reaction.

To treat allergies, you'll need to either avoid the trigger altogether or take medications, like antihistamines, to counteract your immune system's response. Antihistamines help by blocking the effect of histamines, hence the term antihistamine. This, in turn, helps relieve your symptoms.

"Some people need to stay on antihistamines long term if they have year-round allergies," Arthur adds.

A cold is caused by a virus. There's no cure that can treat the virus, but there are medications that can relieve your symptoms. Acetaminophen and ibuprofen can help alleviate pain and reduce your fever, while decongestants will reduce congestion. Get rest and drink a lot of fluids.

Insider's takeaway 

Then there's always a possibility you'll be struck with allergies and the cold simultaneously. So if your symptoms aren't easing, and you're just not sure if it's a cold, allergies, or both, make an appointment with your doctor.

Madeleine Burry is a freelance writer for Insider.

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Health Issues

It’s sometimes difficult to know whether the problem is hay fever or a common cold (upper respiratory infection). The diagnosis is often made when parents seek their pediatrician’s advice for a lingering "cold" that their child can’t shake. While symptoms of allergies and colds often overlap, there are a few telling differences. The tip-offs for hay fever are

• A clear, watery nasal discharge
• Itching of the eyes, ears, nose, or mouth
• Spasmodic sneezing

Fever is never from an allergy; it almost always suggests an infection. Antibiotics will not help allergies or a common cold from a virus. Colds or allergies can sometimes lead to ear or sinus infections; when this happens, antibiotics can be helpful. With a cold, nasal secretions are often thicker than in allergy and can be discolored (as compared with the clear, watery discharge of allergies). The child who has a cold may have a sore throat and a cough, and the child’s temperature is sometimes slightly raised but not always. Itchiness is not usually a complaint with a cold, but it is the hallmark of an allergy problem. A plain old cold usually doesn’t last much more than several days before it starts to get better and go away; allergy symptoms can go on for weeks to months.

The information contained on this Web site should not be used as a substitute for the medical care and advice of your pediatrician. There may be variations in treatment that your pediatrician may recommend based on individual facts and circumstances.