How to Treat a Cough
Recognize that coughing is usually important., Drink plenty of fluids., Eat more fruit., Take a hot shower or bath., Loosen the congestion with percussive techniques., Learn a new coughing technique., Stop smoking., Wait it out.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Recognize that coughing is usually important.
If you're still in the middle of the illness that's causing your cough, most doctors will be reluctant to "treat" it because it's serving an important purpose, which is clearing out your airway.
If the cough feels like it's deep in your chest, or if you're consistently coughing up phlegm or mucus, accept that what's happening is a good thing.
Your body has an innate ability to help itself get well.
If you’ve had a cough for more than 8 weeks, this is considered a “chronic cough.” You should see your physician to see what might be causing this cough.
Common causes of chronic cough include asthma, allergies, chronic sinus infections, GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease), congestive heart failure, emphysema, lung cancer, or tuberculosis.
Some medications such as ACE inhibitors may also include cough as a side-effect. -
Step 2: Drink plenty of fluids.
Having a cough makes you lose fluids from increased breathing rate and coughing, and if your cough is accompanied by a fever, you lose even more fluids.
Drink water, eat broth-like soup, or sip on non-citrus fruit juice.
Staying hydrated will keep your throat from feeling irritated, thins your mucus secretions, and helps you feel better in general.Men should drink at least 13 cups (3 liters) of fluids daily.
Women should drink at least 9 cups (2.2. liters) of fluids daily.
Plan to drink more when you’re sick.Avoid carbonated drinks and citrus juices
- they may irritate your throat more.Studies have shown that warm fluids help loosen mucus secretions and can help relieve coughs, as well as other common symptoms that co-occur such as sneezing, sore throat, and runny nose.Drink some warm broth, hot tea, or even coffee.
To loosen congestion and reduce coughing, drink warm lemon water with honey.
Mix 1 cup warm water with the juice of half a lemon.
Stir in as much honey as you like.
Sip the warm beverage slowly.Do not give honey to children under the age of one due to the risk of botulism exposure., Studies have shown that eating a diet high in fiber, especially fiber from fruit, can help reduce chronic cough and other respiratory symptoms.Fiber from whole fruit is more effective than fiber supplements in reducing coughs.
Fruits such as apples and pears also contain flavonoids, which may help improve overall lung function.High-fiber fruits include raspberries, pears, apples, bananas, oranges, and strawberries., Inhaling the steam from a hot shower or bath can help moisturize your airways and clear feelings of congestion.This can help soothe the urge to cough.Start a hot shower, close the bathroom door, and put a towel between the bottom of the door and the floor.
Spend 15 to 20 minutes inhaling the steam as it builds up in the bathroom.
You can also use a steam inhalation treatment.
Bring a pot of distilled water to just under a boil.
Carefully pour it into a heat-safe bowl and place it on a level, stable surface such as a table or countertop.
Lean your face over the bowl, making sure not to burn yourself with the steam.
Lay a light cotton towel over your head and breathe deeply, inhaling the steam.
Be sure to keep children away from the hot bowl and water, as they might burn themselves.
It may be better to have children sit in a closed bathroom with a hot shower running and have them inhale steam that way.
Remember, dry secretions don’t move, but moist secretions are much more easily cleared from your lungs and airways. , If you're at home and you have a partner who can help, use a chest percussion technique to help clear the chest congestion.
This works particularly well in the morning and just before bed.Sit with your back supported by a chair or wall.
Have your partner cup his or her hand by bending the fingers at the knuckles.
Ask your partner to clap over your pectoral muscles quickly and firmly.
Stay in this position for 5 minutes.
Lie on your stomach with a pillow under your hips.
Bend your arms at the elbow and hold them to the sides.
Ask your partner to use a cupped hand to clap firmly and quickly over your shoulder blades and upper shoulder area.
Stay in this position for 5 minutes Lie on your back with a pillow under your hips.
Hold your arms down and to the sides.
Ask your partner to use a cupped hand to clap firmly and quickly over your pectoral (chest) muscles.
Stay in this position for 5 minutes.
The “clap” should make a hollow sound.
If it sounds like a “slap” instead, ask your partner to cup her/his hand more.
Never clap over the spine or kidney areas. , If your throat is strained and irritated from nonstop coughing, try the “Huff Cough” technique to head off a coughing fit.Deflate your lungs by exhaling as much as possible.
Next, inhale slowly to take a deep breath.
Keep your mouth open and loose, like an “O.” Contract your upper abdominal muscles to cause a short “mini-cough.” Inhale a short breath, and repeat with another mini-cough.
Take an even shorter breath, and give another mini-cough.
Finally, give a large, forcible cough.
You should feel phlegm being released.
The tiny coughs help move mucus towards the upper part of your air passage so you can expel more of it with a last, big cough. , Smoking is a culprit behind many coughs.
In fact, it’s the most common cause of chronic cough.It’s also terrible for your health.
Quitting smoking can help relieve a cough and allow your body to begin repairing damage.After you quit smoking, you may notice that you actually cough more than usual for the first few weeks.
This is normal, because smoking inhibits the function of the cilia (tiny hairs) in your lungs.
In addition, smoking causes chronic inflammation in your airways.
When you quit smoking, the cilia function better and the inflammation begins to clear.
Your body can take up to 3 weeks to adapt to this recovery.Quitting smoking reduces your risk of lung cancer, heart disease, and stroke.
It also reduces the severity of respiratory symptoms such as coughing over the long term.Quitting smoking can also benefit others, who can experience many health problems from exposure to secondhand smoke. , Most minor coughs should subside in 2-3 weeks.
If it persists or is frequent or severe, visit your doctor.
Long-term coughing could be the sign of another illness.
You should see a doctor immediately if you have underlying medical conditions that could complicate a cough (such as asthma, lung disease, or immune deficiencies) or if you experience any of the following symptoms:
Thick phlegm that is green or greenish-yellow that persists for more than a few days or is accompanied by face or head pain or a fever Pink or bloody phlegm Choking Wheezing or “whooping” Fever above
100.5F for more than 3 days Shortness of breath or chest pain Difficulty breathing or swallowing Cyanosis, or bluish color to lips, face, fingers, or toes -
Step 3: Eat more fruit.
-
Step 4: Take a hot shower or bath.
-
Step 5: Loosen the congestion with percussive techniques.
-
Step 6: Learn a new coughing technique.
-
Step 7: Stop smoking.
-
Step 8: Wait it out.
Detailed Guide
If you're still in the middle of the illness that's causing your cough, most doctors will be reluctant to "treat" it because it's serving an important purpose, which is clearing out your airway.
If the cough feels like it's deep in your chest, or if you're consistently coughing up phlegm or mucus, accept that what's happening is a good thing.
Your body has an innate ability to help itself get well.
If you’ve had a cough for more than 8 weeks, this is considered a “chronic cough.” You should see your physician to see what might be causing this cough.
Common causes of chronic cough include asthma, allergies, chronic sinus infections, GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease), congestive heart failure, emphysema, lung cancer, or tuberculosis.
Some medications such as ACE inhibitors may also include cough as a side-effect.
Having a cough makes you lose fluids from increased breathing rate and coughing, and if your cough is accompanied by a fever, you lose even more fluids.
Drink water, eat broth-like soup, or sip on non-citrus fruit juice.
Staying hydrated will keep your throat from feeling irritated, thins your mucus secretions, and helps you feel better in general.Men should drink at least 13 cups (3 liters) of fluids daily.
Women should drink at least 9 cups (2.2. liters) of fluids daily.
Plan to drink more when you’re sick.Avoid carbonated drinks and citrus juices
- they may irritate your throat more.Studies have shown that warm fluids help loosen mucus secretions and can help relieve coughs, as well as other common symptoms that co-occur such as sneezing, sore throat, and runny nose.Drink some warm broth, hot tea, or even coffee.
To loosen congestion and reduce coughing, drink warm lemon water with honey.
Mix 1 cup warm water with the juice of half a lemon.
Stir in as much honey as you like.
Sip the warm beverage slowly.Do not give honey to children under the age of one due to the risk of botulism exposure., Studies have shown that eating a diet high in fiber, especially fiber from fruit, can help reduce chronic cough and other respiratory symptoms.Fiber from whole fruit is more effective than fiber supplements in reducing coughs.
Fruits such as apples and pears also contain flavonoids, which may help improve overall lung function.High-fiber fruits include raspberries, pears, apples, bananas, oranges, and strawberries., Inhaling the steam from a hot shower or bath can help moisturize your airways and clear feelings of congestion.This can help soothe the urge to cough.Start a hot shower, close the bathroom door, and put a towel between the bottom of the door and the floor.
Spend 15 to 20 minutes inhaling the steam as it builds up in the bathroom.
You can also use a steam inhalation treatment.
Bring a pot of distilled water to just under a boil.
Carefully pour it into a heat-safe bowl and place it on a level, stable surface such as a table or countertop.
Lean your face over the bowl, making sure not to burn yourself with the steam.
Lay a light cotton towel over your head and breathe deeply, inhaling the steam.
Be sure to keep children away from the hot bowl and water, as they might burn themselves.
It may be better to have children sit in a closed bathroom with a hot shower running and have them inhale steam that way.
Remember, dry secretions don’t move, but moist secretions are much more easily cleared from your lungs and airways. , If you're at home and you have a partner who can help, use a chest percussion technique to help clear the chest congestion.
This works particularly well in the morning and just before bed.Sit with your back supported by a chair or wall.
Have your partner cup his or her hand by bending the fingers at the knuckles.
Ask your partner to clap over your pectoral muscles quickly and firmly.
Stay in this position for 5 minutes.
Lie on your stomach with a pillow under your hips.
Bend your arms at the elbow and hold them to the sides.
Ask your partner to use a cupped hand to clap firmly and quickly over your shoulder blades and upper shoulder area.
Stay in this position for 5 minutes Lie on your back with a pillow under your hips.
Hold your arms down and to the sides.
Ask your partner to use a cupped hand to clap firmly and quickly over your pectoral (chest) muscles.
Stay in this position for 5 minutes.
The “clap” should make a hollow sound.
If it sounds like a “slap” instead, ask your partner to cup her/his hand more.
Never clap over the spine or kidney areas. , If your throat is strained and irritated from nonstop coughing, try the “Huff Cough” technique to head off a coughing fit.Deflate your lungs by exhaling as much as possible.
Next, inhale slowly to take a deep breath.
Keep your mouth open and loose, like an “O.” Contract your upper abdominal muscles to cause a short “mini-cough.” Inhale a short breath, and repeat with another mini-cough.
Take an even shorter breath, and give another mini-cough.
Finally, give a large, forcible cough.
You should feel phlegm being released.
The tiny coughs help move mucus towards the upper part of your air passage so you can expel more of it with a last, big cough. , Smoking is a culprit behind many coughs.
In fact, it’s the most common cause of chronic cough.It’s also terrible for your health.
Quitting smoking can help relieve a cough and allow your body to begin repairing damage.After you quit smoking, you may notice that you actually cough more than usual for the first few weeks.
This is normal, because smoking inhibits the function of the cilia (tiny hairs) in your lungs.
In addition, smoking causes chronic inflammation in your airways.
When you quit smoking, the cilia function better and the inflammation begins to clear.
Your body can take up to 3 weeks to adapt to this recovery.Quitting smoking reduces your risk of lung cancer, heart disease, and stroke.
It also reduces the severity of respiratory symptoms such as coughing over the long term.Quitting smoking can also benefit others, who can experience many health problems from exposure to secondhand smoke. , Most minor coughs should subside in 2-3 weeks.
If it persists or is frequent or severe, visit your doctor.
Long-term coughing could be the sign of another illness.
You should see a doctor immediately if you have underlying medical conditions that could complicate a cough (such as asthma, lung disease, or immune deficiencies) or if you experience any of the following symptoms:
Thick phlegm that is green or greenish-yellow that persists for more than a few days or is accompanied by face or head pain or a fever Pink or bloody phlegm Choking Wheezing or “whooping” Fever above
100.5F for more than 3 days Shortness of breath or chest pain Difficulty breathing or swallowing Cyanosis, or bluish color to lips, face, fingers, or toes
About the Author
Charles Ryan
A passionate writer with expertise in hobbies topics. Loves sharing practical knowledge.
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