Stages of the Influenza—Day by Day

Updated on October 07, 2021

The flu is a viral infection that involves the nose, pharynx, and lungs. It affects dissimilar people in different means. Not everyone who gets the influenza volition have the aforementioned symptoms. And how sick you feel, as well equally how long you feel ill, can vary from person to person.

However, in general, the influenza typically goes through a set of stages and follows a usual twenty-four hours-by-mean solar day progression. Knowing more about these stages can help give yous a sense of when you are contagious. It will also assist you lot sympathise what having the flu feels like. And you'll be more prepared to treat the flu symptoms that oasis't shown up yet.

This article will discuss the different stages of the flu. It volition give you information about flu symptoms that appear according to each stage of the affliction.

Verywell / Emily Roberts

Flu Day 0

The day before any flu symptoms appear, you are already contagious. Yous feel fine and go virtually your daily life without realizing you lot are about to get sick. You probable came in contact with someone who was contagious with the flu in the past 48 hours.

The influenza virus spreads through tiny droplets that escape the body when people with the flu cough, sneeze, or talk. These particles tin can be breathed into the mouths or noses of those who are nearby. A person tin likewise become the influenza by touching a surface or object that has flu virus on it and and then touching their oral fissure, olfactory organ, or optics.

Flu Twenty-four hour period i

Flu symptoms hit pretty chop-chop on day one. You may wake upwards feeling fine, but feel progressively worse as the hours pass. Headache, sudden high fever, body aches, chills, and tiredness are amongst the near common early symptoms of the influenza.

Once you realize you may be ill with the flu, call your healthcare provider. This is peculiarly important if you lot have asthma or another condition that puts yous at higher risk for related complications. Your healthcare provider may ask you to come in for a rapid flu test or prescribe an antiviral medication like Tamiflu (oseltamivir).

Antiviral medications are nearly effective if started inside the outset 48 hours of symptoms.​​

Flu 24-hour interval 2

The second mean solar day with the influenza is pretty miserable—so bad you may non exist able to become out of bed. Congestion, coughing, and fever may have yous feeling similar fifty-fifty your eyelids hurt. At this point, you are even so contagious.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that y'all stay abroad from others while yous are ill. Remain at home except to get medical care or other necessities for at least 24 hours later on your fever is gone.

Flu Day 3

The third day of the flu is mayhap the worst, so go enough of rest and fluids today. This is the day when many symptoms are the almost intense.

Your sore pharynx, body aches, and congestion will be extremely severe. If you feel gastrointestinal symptoms similar vomiting or diarrhea, they will be severe today as well.

You are even so contagious today, so try to stay away from other people. Remember to cover your mouth when you coughing and to wash your hands frequently.

When to Seek Immediate Care

The flu is a serious affliction that tin can be deadly. If you experience whatsoever symptoms that may indicate an emergency, seek immediate medical care. Note that emergency symptoms may differ slightly between adults and children.

Flu Day 4

On day four, you may start to experience a little better during the 24-hour interval. At this point, your fever is likely to have broken, and you lot shouldn't have as many body aches. Congestion may be starting to loosen upwards. This will make your cough more productive and peradventure worse than the day before.

While you may experience better for function of the day, information technology is still important to become rest and plenty of fluids. You should also go along to stay away from other people. By the end of the mean solar day, you may get-go to feel worse again and your fever may render.

Yous are all the same contagious until you have been fever-free for 24 hours without taking fever-reducing medicine.

People with the flu may be contagious anywhere between the day before to seven days after their symptoms appear.

Flu Twenty-four hour period 5

On day five of the flu, you lot should exist starting to feel better. Your fever is probably gone. You should accept less congestion but may still take a cough. Go along to stay home, remainder, and drink plenty of fluids.

If you are not starting to experience better by 24-hour interval five and your symptoms are getting worse, phone call your healthcare provider. You may have a secondary infection, such as bronchitis or an ear or sinus infection that may crave antibiotics.

A cough that keeps you up at nighttime may require a prescription coughing medicine. Your healthcare provider may want y'all to come into the office to exist checked out. If you withal have a coughing, your healthcare provider'southward role may give yous a mask to wear in the waiting room. This will keep you lot from spreading your germs to others.

Flu Day 6

On the 6th twenty-four hour period with the influenza, you should be breathing easier and fever-free, Merely you will probably nevertheless be tired. You may experience well enough to go back to piece of work. This is fine at this betoken every bit long as you take been fever-costless for at least 24 hours.

If you return to sharing public spaces, exist sure to cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue or the cheat of your elbow. Wash your hands after using tissues or coughing into them. Disinfect any surfaces in your work area.

Flu Day 7

When you wake upward on mean solar day seven, you lot are likely feeling better, but even so not 100%. If you do not feel like you are on the road to recovery, or you lot felt better briefly but so get sick again, phone call your healthcare provider.

At this point, you should no longer have a fever. But if a fever returns, it is often a sign of a secondary infection. Y'all may also still have a cough that keeps hanging around. But if you lot do not feel it is improving, talk to your healthcare provider.

Flu Day 8

By the 8th solar day after getting the influenza, y'all should be well on your way to recovery. You may be tempted to make up for the lost time by working extra hours, socializing, or running extra errands. But you should still take it easy for another 24-hour interval.

If you are used to exercising regularly, you should be fine to work out once more. Don't become overboard with your workouts. Your trunk is however recovering from being ill, and you may nevertheless have a cough. Listen to your trunk, and don't button yourself too difficult.

Common cold and Flu Healthcare Provider Discussion Guide

Go our printable guide for your adjacent healthcare provider's date to help you ask the right questions.

Doctor Discussion Guide Man

Summary

The flu is a viral infection that affects the olfactory organ, throat, and lungs. Not everyone experiences the same influenza symptoms. Influenza is transmitted between people through tiny droplets that escape the trunk when an infected person sneezes, coughs, or talks. You can besides get the flu if you touch a surface that has the influenza virus on information technology and and then affect your hands, olfactory organ, or mouth.

In that location are different stages of the flu, but y'all are contagious a twenty-four hour period before you lot brainstorm to evidence symptoms. Afterwards yous recover from the influenza, ordinarily around eight days afterwards your beginning symptoms, you should feel much meliorate. Exist careful not to overdo it when returning to your daily activities.

A Discussion From Verywell

Each case of flu is dissimilar, and the severity of your symptoms can depend on whether or not you lot have had a flu shot, your overall health, and any underlying chronic health weather y'all may accept.

If you lot are at an increased hazard of complications from the flu, it is of import to work with your healthcare provider from the start. Getting antiviral medications within 48 hours of when your symptoms first announced can aid prevent complications. It can also shorten the corporeality of fourth dimension you lot are sick.

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