10 Reasons Why Your Cold May Not Go Away

1. You may still have a cold

According to Satesh Bidaisee, a professor of preventive medicine and public health at St. George’s University, the very first reason why your cold is still lingering is that the virus itself didn’t go anywhere and is still there, annoying you. “The common cold is a common health concern for people all over the world, particularly for adults, who become ill on average two to four times per year, and children as frequently as once per month,” he says.

While the common cold is usually gone within one week, there are cases when the symptoms persist for a longer period of time. Generally, any persistence beyond two weeks is considered lingering.