Andrew Huberman delivers a comprehensive guide to understanding, preventing, and treating colds and flu. Here's what matters most.
160+
different cold virus serotypes
40-60%
flu shot effectiveness
24 hours
cold virus surface survival
Understanding the Enemy
Why There's No Cure for the Common Cold
Over 160 different rhinovirus serotypes exist, each with a distinct molecular shape. Even if you build immunity to one, the next cold will likely be a different type your body doesn't recognize.
Cold vs. Flu: Know the Difference
Cold: Primarily nasal symptoms—runny nose, sneezing, congestion. Mild body aches. No or low-grade fever.
Flu: Severe body aches, high fever, extreme fatigue, respiratory symptoms. The difference is intensity.
How Viruses Spread
Cold temperatures don't cause colds. The virus spreads through human contact—breathing, sneezing, touching contaminated surfaces, then touching your eyes.
Surface survival matters. Cold viruses survive on surfaces for up to 24 hours. Flu viruses last about 2 hours. Your skin is a barrier; mucous membranes (eyes, nose) are not.
The eyes are the main entry point. Viral particles enter your body when you touch your eyes with contaminated hands. This single behavior change can dramatically reduce infection risk.
Science-Backed Prevention
Hand hygiene. Wash hands with soap and water for 20 seconds. The mechanical scrubbing matters as much as the soap. Hand sanitizer is secondary.
Avoid touching your face. Especially your eyes. Train this habit year-round, not just during cold season.
Prioritize sleep. One night of poor sleep reduces natural killer cell activity by 70 percent. Aim for 7-9 hours consistently.
Manage stress. Chronic cortisol elevation suppresses immune function. Meditation, breathwork, and nature exposure support immunity.
Consider the flu vaccine. Reduces flu risk by 40-60 percent for the dominant strain that season. Useful for healthcare workers and high-risk individuals.
What to Do When You're Sick
Zinc lozenges work. Zinc acetate or gluconate, 13-23mg per lozenge, taken within 24 hours of symptom onset. Take every 2 hours while awake. Can reduce cold duration by 1-2 days.
Vitamin C has modest benefit. High-dose vitamin C (1-2 grams) at symptom onset may reduce cold duration by 8-14 percent. It won't prevent colds, but it may shorten them.
Hydrate aggressively. Fever and mucus production deplete fluids. Water supports every immune process. Drink more than you think you need.
Rest is essential. Your immune system requires energy. Sleep supports recovery. Don't push through illness.
Pause cold exposure and intense exercise. Both add stress to an already taxed system. Resume your contrast therapy protocol after symptoms resolve.
Myths Debunked
Myth: Cold weather causes colds. Reality: Viruses cause colds. Temperature is irrelevant.
Myth: Vitamin C prevents colds. Reality: No prevention benefit, modest reduction in duration if taken early.
Myth: Sweating it out helps. Reality: Intense exercise while sick prolongs illness and increases secondary infection risk.
Myth: The flu shot gives you the flu. Reality: The vaccine contains inactivated virus. You may feel mild symptoms as your immune system responds, but you're not infected.
Practical Actions
Start Today
Train yourself to stop touching your eyes. Catch yourself when you do it.
Wash hands thoroughly after public outings, before eating, after touching shared surfaces.
Prioritize 7-9 hours of sleep. Track it if necessary.
Keep zinc lozenges and vitamin C on hand for early symptom onset.
If you practice cold exposure, pause during active illness. Your immune system takes priority.
The Bigger Picture
Cold and flu prevention isn't about one magic bullet. It's about layering defenses: hygiene, sleep, stress management, targeted supplementation, and knowing when to rest.
Contrast therapy builds resilience. It trains your nervous system to adapt. But resilience includes knowing when to pause, when to let your immune system do its work without added stressors.
You won't avoid every infection. But you can reduce frequency, shorten duration, and recover with greater ease. That's the goal: not invincibility, but optimized adaptation.