these include drinking plenty of water. Hot water and honey is a good home remedy for cough. You can also have over-the-counter cough medicines like cough drops and syrups. Using a humidifier at home also helps with a coughing fit.
While it can sometimes be difficult to pinpoint the problem that's triggering a chronic cough, the most common causes are tobacco use, postnasal drip, asthma and acid reflux. Fortunately, chronic cough typically disappears once the underlying problem is treated.
Dozens of conditions can cause a recurrent, lingering cough, but the lion's share are caused by just five: postnasal drip, asthma, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), chronic bronchitis, and treatment with ACE inhibitors, used for high blood pressure and heart failure.
Coughs that persist after a common cold or other upper respiratory infection are called post-infectious or post-viral coughs. They can linger for three to eight weeks after a viral infection. There are two common causes of a post-viral cough in adults: Postnasal drip, when mucus drains into your throat.
"A cough is considered chronic if it persists longer than eight weeks," explains Dr. Safdar. "At that point, we start to worry whether the cause might be a chronic health condition that needs to be addressed."
Coughing often worsens at night because a person is lying flat in bed. Mucus can pool in the back of the throat and cause coughing. Sleeping with the head elevated can reduce the symptoms of postnasal drip and GERD. Both can cause coughing at night.
The most common causes of chronic cough are postnasal drip, asthma, and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). These three causes are responsible for up to 90 percent of all cases of chronic cough. Less common causes include infections, medications, and chronic lung diseases.
A tickle in the throat is due to irritation in the upper airway, and can be caused by multiple different infectious or inflammatory conditions. This irritation, often referred to as "post-nasal drip" is most commonly due to an upper airway infection, and can persist for weeks following resolution of other symptoms.
Dr Lakshmi explained that milk coats the mucus or phlegm, making it feel thicker. That is why you may feel your cold may become worse when you drink milk or consume dairy products like curd. However, the production of phlegm does not increase because of dairy.
Occasional coughing is normal as it helps clear your throat and airway of germs, mucus and dust. A cough that doesn't go away or comes with other symptoms like shortness of breath, mucus production or bloody phlegm could be the sign of a more serious medical problem.
The four main types of coughs are: wet, dry, paroxysmal and croup. Most coughs do go away on their own.
Don't suppress a productive cough too much, unless it's keeping you from getting enough rest. Coughing is useful. It brings up mucus from the lungs and helps prevent bacterial infections.
Lying prone can improve breathlessness and help get more oxygen into the body. Lying prone can also help your cough to be more effective. This helps with clearing out any secretions that are in your chest.
Cough frequency is much lower at night than during the day. There is reduced exposure to tussive stimuli at night and decreased cough reflex sensitivity.
Prolonged, vigorous coughing can irritate the lungs and cause even more coughing. It is also exhausting and can cause sleeplessness, dizziness or fainting, headaches, urinary incontinence, vomiting, and even broken ribs.