I seem to crack one of my ribs - left hand side 3rd from the bottom every couple of years. It takes about 1 week for the pain to diminish noticeably and 4 weeks for it to be almost gone - it is still a little sore after 6 weeks. I break the same one each time - it is weaker than its neighbours clearly.

As regards treatment - as has been said - deep breathing is a good way to avoid infections (the infections can be pretty serious if I remember correctly) - and should, ideally, be done 10 times per hour. It will hurt but you can do it slowly so it isn’t too bad. Strapping of the chest is not recommended as it makes it difficult to take deep breathes easily.

Coughing and sneezing are not fun - all I can say is that you need to brace yourself - support your ribs as if they were strapped and try not to hold a sneeze in as that raises the pressure internally and is excruciating. Laughing isn’t much fun either but that seems to make my brothers want to make me laugh all the more - I wouldn’t do it to them (not true - I am a bad person, I know). You should try to limit the lifting you do as far as possible.

Sleeping is difficult and you may struggle to find a comfortable position - sleeping whilst sitting in a chair may be a good one for you.

They do get better. This is all very fresh in my mind as you may have gathered. Hope you mend soon.

As no-one else has asked - is the bike OK?