We’ve all been there. Your throat is raw from coughing and your head is so pressurized that you feel like you’re 10,000 leagues under the sea. Besides the rotating cocktails of Dayquil and various other symptom-relief drugs, there isn’t a whole lot that you can do to escape the cold from hell that your immune system failed to protect you from. After somehow managing to survive all day in bed watching Law and Order reruns, now comes the real battle: getting some sleep. Though it may be a daunting task, there are some tips that could make the struggle a little bit easier.

Invest in some Nyquil:  Having Dayquil and not Nyquil is like having math homework and no calculator; it just won’t work out. Even though it tastes like an arsenic and bleach cocktail cleverly relabeled as “liquid berry,” it really does help get you through the night with its symptom ebbing wonders, including added sleep aid. I recommend the Nyquil Severe, although I can’t personally say how much more effective it is than the regular Nyquil.

Acquire many pillows: For those nights when your whole face is throbbing, having a lot of pillows is highly recommended. That pain is more than likely attributed to sinus drainage accumulation. I know from experience that when you prop your head up as you sleep throughout the night it helps to encourage the drainage to stop inhibiting your breathing and overall comfort. Trust me, it’s no fun to wake up with both eyes and nostrils sealed shut with that fine layer of crust.

Keep the fan on: When I get sick, it seems like my body can never decided whether or not it’s hot or cold. One minute I’m bundled up like an eskimo in my warmest blanket, and the next I’ve got the A/C on blast and sweating like a pig. So, it definitely helps to keep the fan on so that I don’t wake up in the middle of the night floating in a pool of my own perspiration, and I also like to think it helps to have the extra air flow around the room.

Have warm blankets: This tip goes hand in hand with the fluctuating temperatures thing. For those nights when you’re weak and shivering, and getting up for a trip to the bathroom feels like the equivalent of hiking Mount Everest, words cannot express how good it feels to have a nice, warm blanket to crawl back into. (P.S. a heating pad can be a nice accessory to have underneath the blanket, as it enhances the return-trip-to-the-bathroom experience greatly.)

Keep a water bottle beside you: We all know what our mothers and grandmothers used to tell us: Make sure to drink your fluids! Turns out that was important advice. When you come down with a bug, your metabolism speeds up in order to keep up with your busy immune system. So, it’s up to you to keep fueling your body with H2O so that it can nip the sick in the bud. Also, I’ve noticed that when I’m sick, I tend to wake up with a very gross dry mouth, so it helps to have water right beside my head for easy access to get rid of that uncomfortable feeling.