No matter what the season, a virus finds the weather perfect to invade your respiratory tract — leaving you sneezing, coughing, and down with a cold.

"A cold is a cold is a cold, regardless of when one suffers from it," says Randy Wexler, MD, assistant professor of family medicine at the Ohio State University College of Medicine in Columbus.

But in the summer months, when the winter doldrums and associated illnesses seem ages away, it's easy to write off a cold as just summer allergies. The two are very different conditions — and if you pay close attention to your symptoms, you can usually figure out which is which.

Summer Colds

"A cold is a virus and is different from allergies," explains Dr. Wexler. "The seasonal difference is due to different virus strains in summer and winter." So just because most people don't catch a cold in the summer doesn't mean that you can't — or that you didn't.

"Colds, or upper respiratory infections occur all year round, but are more prevalent in the colder months," says Nancy Elder, MD, associate professor and director of research in the department of family and community medicine at the University of Cincinnati in Ohio.

"The main difference between summer colds and winter colds is how commonly they occur," says Dr. Elder. But a summer cold just feels worse somehow — it feels wrong to get a cold in the sunny summer weather. "Because colds occur less often in the summer months, I think some people feel a bit put-upon when they get a summer cold — it just doesn’t seem fair," Elder adds.

So cold-prevention tips are important year-round, even when the sun is beating down. "The most important precaution is hand-washing, and not sharing cups or utensils," says Wexler.

Summer Allergies

The common cold and summer allergies have a lot in common. They can both cause:

• Runny or stuffy nose
• Congestion
• Coughing
• Fatigue
• Headaches

"Sometimes, it can be hard to tell them apart, especially if someone has not had problems with allergies previously," notes Elder. Often, "allergies have more watery, runny nose with lots of sneezing, itchy, watery eyes and can change based on physical location (for example, may get better if someone leaves the outdoors and goes into an air-conditioned, air-filtered house)."

Seasonal allergies, such as allergies to grasses and weeds, also strike about the same time each year (depending on the allergy) and persist throughout allergy season. A simple summer cold usually goes away within about 10 days — with or without common cold treatment — and tends not to cause itchy eyes or nose like allergies do.

10 Tips to Cope With a Summer Cold

"Treatment for a cold is the same whether summer or winter," says Wexler. Here are some cold remedies to help you beat a summer cold and get back to enjoying the heat:

• Take an over-the-counter (OTC) decongestant to unclog a stuffy nose.
• Use a saline spray to irrigate the nose and keep mucus loose.
• Take an OTC pain reliever (like Tylenol) to reduce fever and manage pain.
• Use cough drops and throat lozenges to manage that pesky dry cough.
• Gargle with warm salt water to soothe a sore throat.
• Don't take an antibiotic.
• Allow your body to rest — get plenty of sleep, and avoid strenuous exercise.
• Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated in the heat.
• Don't smoke.
• Head to the doctor if you don't get relief within two days, or you are wheezing.

Allergies, on the other hand, may respond best to OTC antihistamines or prescription nasal sprays.

Though these medications may help you feel better and cope with a summer cold, "all medications have side effects, and some people prefer the effects of the URI to the effects of the medications," says Elder. "These medicines do not make the URI go away any quicker, they just help you breathe a bit easier or have less of a headache while your body is busy fighting off the infection."

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