Some foods, especially dairy-based foods, are known to cause excessive phlegm production. Eating foods like milk and cream can cause coughing after eating as the body tries to clear the phlegm from your airways.
1. Take an Expectorant. Over-the-counter (OTC) expectorants (such as Mucinex or Robitussin 12 Hour Cough & Mucus Relief) contain guaifenesin, which thins respiratory secretions in your airways. This can help you cough up excessive mucus more effectively and breathe easier.
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.
Speak to a GP if:
your cough is particularly severe. you cough up blood. you experience shortness of breath, breathing difficulties or chest pain. you have any other worrying symptoms, such as unexplained weight loss, a persistent change in your voice, or lumps or swellings in your neck.
Coughing is the body's way of getting irritants out of the lungs, where they could lead to an infection. In most cases, a cough will go away when the illness gets better. It might take a week or even a month or so. Sometimes, a cough might last for longer than 8 weeks.
When it comes to nighttime cough, gravity is your enemy. All the postnasal drainage and mucus you swallow during the day backs up and irritates your throat when you lay down at night. Try to defy gravity by propping yourself up on some pillows while you sleep.
The four main types of coughs are: wet, dry, paroxysmal and croup. Most coughs do go away on their own.
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.
A bronchitis cough sounds like a rattle with a wheezing or whistling sound. As your condition progresses, you will first have a dry cough that can then progress towards coughing up white mucus.
The CDC advises you to get plenty of rest. Sleep can help your body recover from a cold. It also can help prevent you from getting sick in the first place. The CDC also suggests using a clean humidifier when you have a cough.
Common symptoms of pneumonia include: a cough – which may be dry, or produce thick yellow, green, brown or blood-stained mucus (phlegm) difficulty breathing – your breathing may be rapid and shallow, and you may feel breathless, even when resting.
Your doctor will listen to your lungs with a stethoscope. If you have pneumonia, your lungs may make crackling, bubbling, and rumbling sounds when you inhale.
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.
Cough suppressants (antitussives), like dextromethorphan (Robitussin, Delsym), help by controlling your cough reflex. They usually work better for a “dry” (non-productive) cough, which usually results from irritation.
You should see a doctor if your cough brings up yellowish-green phlegm or blood. A cough that doesn't produce mucus is called a dry or nonproductive cough. Acute cough is the least serious type of cough. It only lasts for three weeks or less and will most likely clear up on its own.
Postnasal drip, also known as upper airway cough syndrome, is one of the most common causes of chronic cough. 1 It's caused by mucus dripping down your throat (due to allergies or a cold), which tickles nerve endings, triggering coughing, Dr. Parsons said.