How to Get Rid of a Cough (original) (raw)

Coughing is a normal and healthy reflex. It helps your body clear your airways of mucus, smoke, and other irritants, but constant coughing can take a toll. It may interrupt your sleep, work, and activities, hurt your chest, and tire you out. When infected or irritated by a cough or sore throat, the cells in your upper airways (nose and throat) trigger your immune system to help fight back. You can get relief from these symptoms by working to reduce the inflammation.

It’s best to stop a cough by treating the underlying cause, whether it’s a cold, allergies, acid reflux, blood pressure drugs , or other medications. But you also can try some home remedies to quiet and soothe your cough.

Drink lots of fluids. When you’re sick, mucus can trickle down the back of your nose. Staying hydrated thins the drip, making it less likely to irritate your throat and trigger a cough. This also makes it easier for your lungs to clear out the discharge.

What’s more, a parched body may push your immune system to release more histamines. These chemicals swell your nose and make more mucus, which can set off a cough.

Try honey and other natural cough remedies. Honey soothes the scratchiness in the back of your throat. One study found that honey works just as well as over-the-counter drugs for easing nighttime coughs. Take a tablespoon as needed, or stir it into a warm drink. Don’t give honey to babies under age 1.

Other natural remedies include aloe and menthol. These can help reduce inflammation of the upper airways.

Sip a hot drink. Research shows that it can ease cold symptoms, including a cough. The liquids are hydrating, and the heat helps lower congestion. Brew some calming chamomile tea. Ginger tea is another good choice. The spicy root may help relax the smooth muscles in your airways. Steep chopped ginger in boiling water for 5-10 minutes and discard before sipping.

Use over-the-counter products for cough relief. Some natural OTC products that contain very low doses of aspirin also help reduce the symptoms of sore throat and cough.

Clear irritants from your home. Some people are sensitive to perfumes and fragrances in laundry detergents and air fresheners. That may irritate the sinuses and up mucus production, which sets the stage for hacking.

If you have allergies, cleaning away mold, dust, and pollen may help. These allergens may cause a reaction, including a cough. You may need to wash your sheets in hot water, clean your floors with a HEPA-filter vacuum, and scrub windows with a bleach solution.

Sleep on an incline. If a cold or an allergy is the cause of your cough, try raising your head. When you lie flat, the mucus can pool and irritate your throat. To put gravity on your side, use an extra pillow or raise the head of your bed with a stable surface, such as books.

Gargle with salt water. Along with soothing a sore throat, gargling can also help loosen thick mucus. It can help clear away allergens and bacteria. To try it, dissolve 1/2 teaspoon of salt into a glass of warm water. Gargle, then spit it out.

Stamp out cigarettes. Smoking paralyzes the tiny hairs lining your lungs, called the cilia, which clear out mucus and dirt. That’s why some smokers get long-term cough. Research so far suggests that the same may happen with vaping. Steer clear of cigarettes, e-cigarettes, and secondhand smoke.

Moisten the air. A steamy shower or bath can help loosen the mucus and ease congestion associated with your cough. A humidifier may also help. Be sure to clean and change the filter as directed by the manufacturer. This prevents it from blowing mold, fungi, and bacteria in your home.

Rinse your nose. Rinsing out your nose flushes out cough-inducing mucus and allergens from your nasal passages and sinuses. Use a saline spray or try nasal irrigation. With your head tilted over a sink, use a neti pot, nasal cup, or bulb syringe to pour salt water into one nostril and let it drain out of the other.

Bronchitis happens when the airways in your lungs become inflamed, causing you to cough. It may be acute or chronic. If it is acute, it will go away within days or weeks. If it's chronic, it may be long-lasting, and you’ll need treatment to manage your symptoms.

Here are some treatments that can help relieve coughing due to bronchitis:

When you breathe in allergens such as dust mites, pet dander, and pollen, you might have allergy cough and other symptoms, including stuffy and itchy nose, sneezing, sore throat, and wheezing.

You can manage allergy cough with:

A dry cough is one that doesn't produce mucus or phlegm. It may occur when you have conditions such as the cold or flu or more serious conditions like asthma, pneumonia, heart failure, tuberculosis, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Taking over-the-counter cough medicines like cough expectorants may not work. But you can manage it with:

Coughing from time to time is normal, as it helps clear your airways. However, frequent coughing from conditions such as the flu, cold, or asthma can be disturbing and uncomfortable. As you treat the underlying condition causing the cough, you can also find relief with over-the-counter medicines such as cough suppressants, cough drops, and lozenges, as well as by staying hydrated. If your symptoms don’t get better in a few days to weeks, see a doctor.

Why am I coughing so much but not sick?

You may cough a lot but not feel sick if you smoke, take blood pressure and heart failure medicines called ACE inhibitors, have postnasal drip or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), or are regularly exposed to irritants in the air.

Why does my head hurt when I cough?

If your head hurts when you cough, it might mean you have a cough headache. No one understands exactly what causes it, but scientists think that coughing can increase the pressure in your chest and belly, which then raises the pressure in your brain, causing it to hurt.

How do I stop uncontrollable coughing?

Drinking water or taking honey can help stop uncontrollable coughing immediately. If it persists, get immediate medical help.