Coughing is your body’s natural way of clearing up its air passageways. When exposed to respiratory irritants, coughing becomes a reflex action designed to unclog or open your airways so you can breathe easier.
An occasional cough should not be cause for alarm; however, if a cough lasts for extended periods, then your body may be trying to tell you something.
Which type of cough do you have? In order to effectively address it, it’s crucial to identify its source.
Short-term coughs may be caused by:
Allergies include allergic rhinitis or hay fever. Flare-ups: Recurrences can include long-term conditions like asthma, chronic bronchitis or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Lower respiratory tract infections: Common examples include bronchitis or pneumonia.
Upper respiratory tract infection: Any condition which impacts the throat, windpipe, and sinuses such as colds, flu, laryngitis, sinusitis or whooping cough that affects these areas. Coughs may linger for extended periods as well.
The following conditions may lead to persistent cough:
Allergies, Asthma, Bronchiectasis: Lung airways can become abnormally wide when inhaled irritants reach them from within; gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) can also cause coughing fits, due to acid from stomach washing up into throat irritants causing irritation causing coughs that lead to more acid reflux from stomach into throat causing coughs to occur, leading a person into coughing fits and sometimes even to an attack of coughing fits due to irritation from acid from stomach coming up to throat area causing irritation leading to coughs being coughed up from within that person irritable feeling inside that makes you want to vomit it down all at once! When acid from stomach makes its way up into throat irritates it causes irritation causing coughing fits that leads people into coughing fits as the acid reflux goes up into their throat area causing acid from stomach going up into throat area irritated throat area then leads them into coughing fits of some sort leading them into coughing fit of some sort or another. When acid from stomach goes up into throat area it causes it can causing cough fits due to it moving up from stomach acid reflux disease or reflux disease which causes acid build up into throat area leading to throat irritation which then trigger cough fits; therefore forcing coughing fits due to irritating acid to get trapped there that leads up and causes coughing fit from having acid reaching it from back up into their throat then trigger cough attacks from coughing cough fits of this causes them into cough fits then cough fits before eventually leading them cough. When this way leading to cough fits which will make sure of cough cough will follow until finally escapes causing issues until eventually causes it causes it reaching there throat area irritate as acid from stomach into throat area to the throat making its path, leading them into the throat irritate or throat from cough
Post-nasal Drip: Rhinitis or sinusitis may lead to post-nasal drip, with mucus draining from behind the nose into the throat and down into a nasal passageway. Medication, such as an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACE) inhibitor used to manage blood pressure can help, as can quitting smoking.
There are also less frequent causes that could trigger coughing in a person, including aspiration, cystic fibrosis, heart disease or lung cancer.
At times it is best not to rush into conclusions hastily.
Coughs lasting more than four weeks for children or eight weeks in adults should always be addressed by seeking medical advice.
Are coughs contagious?
Since coughing is an automatic response by the body, the act itself should not be seen as contagious; rather it is important to address what caused the cough itself.
If either bacteria or viruses are the source of your coughing fits, preventive measures should be taken immediately to stop their spread and spread of infection.
Coughing can help clear an obstructed airway or any air passages of any irritating particles, but can also act as a vehicle for transmitting disease to others.
A 2017 joint research effort between Queensland University of Technology and University of Queensland discovered that common disease-causing bacteria could spread as far as four meters through coughing or sneezing from as far away as four meters, staying active for 45 minutes afterwards.
Do You Suffer From Wet or Dry Coughs? Coughs may be classified as wet or dry depending on their severity.
Dry coughs tend to be free from mucus production and more commonly manifest themselves through a tickle in the back of throat that’s often uncomfortable and even annoying.
On the other hand, wet or chesty coughs expel excess phlegm from your body due to exposure to irritants or infections that lead to an excess production of mucus that clogs up your airways. Chesty cough symptoms could include any one or all of these:
Breathing difficulties.
Congested feeling so the chest feels tight or heavy. Cough is usually more prominent in the mornings. Sticky mucus production occurs, and depending on its cause can also produce green, brown, or white colored sputum; or alternatively white sticky phlegm can form.
How can You Deal with Coughing? Coughing can be especially uncomfortable and you would likely like it gone quickly so that your daily life doesn’t involve coughing as often. What Are My Options To Treat It Faster And End The Cough
Doctors may prescribe expectorants to help loosen mucus build-up in your airways and limit further production of new phlegm.
These medications come in the form of 24-hour capsules, convenient tablets or cough syrup and should provide quick relief from problematic coughs. As well as these types of medicines that are tailored specifically to ease symptoms of an annoying cough, there are certain things you can do yourself that will ease suffering and lessen discomfort.
Here are five strategies you can employ when suffering from cough:
1. Stay hydrated.
Water is your friend when you have a cough; drink lots of it to stay hydrated and avoid dehydration, reduce cough reflex, and thin out mucus production.
Drinking water will also make it easier to expel phlegm. Keep a glass handy at bedtime so that you can sip whenever a coughing fit begins and save yourself some trouble by sipping away.
Warm soup or tea can provide essential fluids and soothe an itchy throat, providing much-needed hydration to aid healing. Be wary of sugary, caffeinated, or high calorie drinks as these may dehydrate the body further and thicken phlegm further – avoid these until your symptoms have subsided.
2. Avoid Alcohol and Smoking.
Alcohol can dehydrate your body and have adverse effects on both immune function and cough medication that you may be taking, including increased coughing. Furthermore, alcohol may have adverse interactions with cough medications you are currently taking that cause you to become disorientated, disorganized, dizzy, headaches or vomiting.
Smoking will aggravate your cough by irritating the airways. Exposure to secondhand smoke, smog and other pollutants will have the same effect, while exposure to strong scents such as air fresheners or overpowering perfumes may also trigger irritation and coughing fits.
3. Get some rest.
Sleep will allow your body to recover faster.
Stay away from stressful activities and focus on relaxing instead. Avoid engaging in activities that will tire your body and spirit out; your body needs as much energy as possible to fight off infections.
Make sure that when sleeping, your head is elevated by adding pillows in order to avoid post nasal drip and prevent mucus from pouring down your throat and irritating it. This should help minimize post nasal drip symptoms.
Staying home and resting will also help prevent further spread of the infection that is causing your cough.
4. Check Your Environment. Make sure that the area where you’re working or studying is free from dirt, dust and smoke.
Air pollution can irritate your airways and worsen coughing episodes, so have someone regularly clean and disinfect your home, especially areas like doorknobs, shared gadgets or remote controls that could easily become contaminated.
Utilize a humidifier to ease breathing by adding moisture into the air, or take a steamy shower for better sinus relief and to loosen phlegm and nasal secretions.
5. Consume a nutritious diet.
To strengthen your body and combat off bacteria or viruses responsible for coughing fits, consume foods rich in essential vitamins and nutrients that can provide support to fight them off effectively.
Vitamin C-rich food can aid your body in its healing process, such as broccoli, bell peppers, kiwi fruit and other citrus fruits. Colorful fruits and vegetables such as oranges, apples, cranberries and pineapples are also excellent health boosters.
Breathe comfortably A cough can be an inconvenience. But breathing more freely should not be a source of anxiety.
Not only can chronic conditions impose restrictions on your physical wellbeing, they can also disrupt time and resources management.
So it is a huge relief that we are no longer living in the Dark Ages and can access medical assistance when feeling unwell.
Now we can receive more informed diagnoses about how best to tackle coughs and their underlying causes, with fast-acting medicines like mucus-thinning expectorants providing much-needed relief to chesty cough sufferers.
No matter how effective our current treatments may be, it would still be wise to take measures to avoid coughing in the first place.
Adopting good health etiquette such as using tissues rather than your hand to cover your nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing and washing hands regularly can go a long way toward stopping the spread of germs.
Prevention is always preferable to treatment. That statement could not be more true.
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