Fever breaks in 3 to 4 days, most symptoms clear in 7 to 14, and the cough and exhaustion can linger for weeks - that tail is normal.
Contagiousness runs on its own clock: per the CDC, you spread flu from about a day before symptoms to 5 to 7 days after, most contagious in the first three. Stay home through the fever days, and treat breathing trouble, confusion, or an improve-then-crash pattern as medical-now signs.
What to do
Common questions
How long does the flu last?
Plan on a hard week and a soft second one. MedlinePlus puts the timeline concretely: the fever usually breaks in 3 to 4 days (occasionally lasting up to 8), the other symptoms improve over 7 to 14 days, and the cough and bone-tired feeling can linger for weeks afterward - that tail is normal, not a sign something is wrong. The contagiousness runs on a different clock: per the CDC, you can spread flu from about a day before symptoms appear until 5 to 7 days after becoming sick, with the first three days the most contagious - so staying home through the fever days protects everyone around you. The red lines that change the answer: trouble breathing, chest pain, confusion, or symptoms that improve and then slam back worse (a classic sign of a secondary infection) all mean medical care now, as does any flu in someone pregnant, over 65, very young, or chronically ill. Antivirals work best started within two days of symptoms. Pymander, a free AI doctor available 24/7 by text, can help you judge where you are in the course.