How to Power Through a Performance When You’re Not Feeling Great

You know the feeling: overall achiness, a scratchy throat, and a pounding head. Also? Dread, because as bad luck would have it, you feel sick just as you’re supposed to perform. 

It’s important to balance “the show must go on” with making sure the audience and the people you work with stay safe. In other words, your next role shouldn’t be “Patient Zero.”

We spoke to Matt Kaufman, M.D., an emergency medicine doctor in the New York area, to better understand what to do when it comes to treating sickness symptoms.

For feeling rundown: Drink fluids

At the very first inkling of illness, start hydrating, Kaufman says. It doesn’t matter if it’s water, Gatorade, or another electrolyte-laden beverage, just keep drinking “until your urine is clear, and maintain that,” Kaufman shares. “You don’t have to go crazy overdoing it, though.” He points out that you can drink coffee, but since caffeine is a diuretic, that cuppa doesn’t count as fluids, so chase it with water. 

For sniffling and a runny nose: Try a nasal spray

Whether you have allergies or a cold, your first instinct may be to take an antihistamine to mask those symptoms. Kaufman points out, however, that drugs such as Benadryl or Claritin “all cause some degree of drowsiness,” which isn’t ideal for just existing, let alone performing. Instead, he recommends fluticasone propionate, an over-the-counter local steroid that you squirt up your nose. “It can alleviate that stuffy nose without those other side effects,” he says.

For a cough: Try an inhaler or spray

If you have a hacking cough from postnasal drip—when mucus runs down the back of your throat—that fluticasone propionate can help, Kaufman says. If you have bronchitis, though, or a persistent, phlegmy cough coming from your lungs, he says that an expectorant (from the guaifenesin class) can thin the mucus, but you need to drink tons of water to counteract how dehydrating such meds are. If the cough is still stubborn, he points out that doctors will sometimes prescribe albuterol, the same oral inhalers that treat asthma.

For specific soreness: Try ibuprofen

While some people take ibuprofen and acetaminophen interchangeably, Kaufman recommends good ol’ Advil for “localized pain—like if your knee hurts, it’s going to work better than Tylenol,” he says. “But you can also take them both at the same time. And people tend to find what works for them and stick to it.”

For feeling flu-ish: Try acetaminophen

You don’t want your big solo to turn into a super-spreader event: “If you’re actively having fevers, you’re likely contagious,” Kaufman says. Generally, he says, you stop being able to spread whatever bug you have when you’ve been fever-free for 24 hours without taking any medication.

If you’re experiencing chills and general body aches—and hibernating under your duvet is truly out of the question—Kaufman says, “Taking Tylenol every six hours is fine.”

Matt Kaufman is an emergency medicine specialist who has worked at hospitals and trauma centers in New York and New Jersey.

The tips provided are for educational and informational purposes only and do not constitute professional medical advice or services.