Do Cold Prevention Sprays Really Work?

It seems like everyone I know has a cold at the moment, and while I’ve stayed sniffle-free so far, I’m not taking any chances. 

I’ve been washing my hands religiously, trying to keep my immune system healthy and have even bought myself one of those cold-prevention nasal sprays.

I’ve used them before and managed to avoid catching an otherwise flat-wide cold. But do they really work? 

Well, a study from the University of Bristol and the University of Southampton sought to answer that question earlier this year.

What did they find?

The paper, published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, found that a “small amount of evidence suggests that nasal sprays, or physical activity and stress management, could shorten the duration of respiratory infections”. 

They looked at data from 14,000 adults and learned that the sprays helped to stop symptoms from becoming very severe and reduced the length of colds by about 20%.

They were also linked to taking less time off work or school and less antibiotic use (taking antibiotics for colds is harmful because it can’t get rid of the virus and may add to broader antibiotic resistance).

Speaking to the University of Southampton, lead author Paul Little said: “Given these results, our advice, particularly for those at higher risk from infections or those who get recurrent infections, is at the first sign of cough, sore throat, cold or flu-like symptoms, use a nasal spray to prevent it from developing fully, and to use the sprays preventatively after close exposure to people with infections.”

Why does it work?

It may help to “wash out” the virus from your nose before it has a chance to take hold, the University of Southampton says. 

That’s where the illness “takes root”, healthcare provider Cleveland Clinic says, so it makes sense that nasal sprays could help to reduce or even prevent colds.

Dr Lucy Yardley OBE, who oversaw the nasal spray part of the study, said: “Our analysis suggests that the benefits were even greater when people used the sprays more often ― we advised six times a day at the first sign of a cold ― but many people in the study did not use the spray that often.” 

Looks like I’ll hang on to that trusty bottle then...