So you're curious whether your sniffles, sneezes and wheezes are caused by allergies or the common cold.  Since both are treated different, it's important for you -- or at least your doctor -- to be able tell the difference.

This is important because both allergies and colds are common asthma triggers.  And cold and allergy symptoms are early warning signs of asthma, and indicators that you need to take some form of action to prevent worsening asthma. 

The Mayo Clinic (as you can read here) offers the following tips to help you determine if it's allergies or the common cold:

Allergy symptoms:

• Sometimes a cough
• Never aches and pains
• Sometimes fatigue
• Usually itchy eyes
• Usually sneezing
• Sometimes sore throat
• Usually runny nose
• Usually stuffy nose
• Never a fever

Common cold:

• Usually a cough
• Sometimes general aches and pains
• Sometimes fatigue
• Rarely itchy eyes
• Usually sneezing
• Usually sore throat
• Usually runny nose
• Usually stuffy nose
• Rarely a fever, if there is a fever it's a low grade fever

Colds are generally caught (but not always) when the temperature gets cold (as I write here) and people are indoors more with the doors and windows closed.  In close proximety to infected sniffers and sneezers, you're more likely to catch a bug or a virus.

Allergies can be seasonal too, but you can't catch an allergy.  Pollen (as noted here) is a common trigger in the spring, mold counts (as noted here) may be up during humid summers, and ragweed counts (as I write here) are high in the fall. 

Once you determine (or make an educated guess) that you have a cold, you'll want to determine if it's viral or bacterial, because they are both treated differently.

Allina Hospitals and Clinics offers some tips to help you tell the difference:

Viral Symptoms:

• Runny nose is common
• Muscle aches is usual
• Headaches often
• Dizziness often
• Low grade fever often (up to 101° F or 38.5° C)
• Cough often
• Dry cough often
• Coughing up phlegm (mucus or sputum)
• Hoarseness is common
• Antibiotics will not help

Bacterial symptoms:

• Runny nose is rare
• Muscle aches are rare
• Headaches are rare
• Dizziness is rare
• High grade fever is common (102° F or 38.6° C and higher)
• Cough is present occasionally
• Dry cough is rare
• Coughing up phlegm
• Hoarseness is rare
• Antibiotics will help

Generally speaking, according to dukehealth.org, a viral infection lasts less than 10 to 14 days. If it lasts longer chances are it's bacterial. High fevers are also usually an indication it might be bacterial.

Allina also notes that most of the time the common cold is caused by a virus, yet occasionally it can be caused by a bacteria. The flu is caused by a virus, yet ear infections and strep throat are caused by a bacteria.

Another great way to differentiate from a viral or bacterial infection is by examining your sputum, as I write about in my sputum lexicon. If it's light yellow, you probably have a virus. If it's dark yellow, brown, or if it smells putrid, then it's probably a bacteria.