4 Ways to Stop Coughing

2024 Author: Samantha Chapman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 09:13

While coughing is a healthy reaction that helps clear the airways, it can be an irritating or even debilitating annoyance. At home, at work, or when trying to sleep, it can cause pain, or embarrassment. Depending on the type of cough, you can follow these tips to relieve the pain you feel in your throat. That's how.

Steps

Method 1 of 4: Annoying and short-lived cough

Step 1. Stay hydrated

Postnasal drip, the substance that flows from the nose into the throat, and irritates it, can be reduced by drinking water. This will loosen the mucus, which will be less annoying to your throat.

Unfortunately this does not mean that you will be able to have a beer. Water is, as always, the best solution. Stay away from sodas and highly acidic juices - they can irritate your throat even more

Step 2. Take care of the health of the throat

While taking care of your throat doesn't necessarily mean taking care of your cough (often these are independent symptoms), it will help you feel better and sleep better.

• Try cough pills. They numb the back of the throat, reducing the cough reflex.

  

• Drinking hot tea with honey helps to calm the throat in a similar way. Make sure it's not too hot though!

  

• Half a teaspoon of minced ginger or apple cider vinegar with half a teaspoon of honey is a widely used, although not clinically recognized, remedy.

Step 3. Take advantage of the air

Create a favorable environment for your throat. You may reduce the symptoms.

• Take a hot shower. It will help dissolve the secretions in your nose, and make you breathe better.

  

• Purchase a humidifier. Humidifying dry air can help relieve pain.

  

• Remove irritants. Perfumes and deodorant sprays can cause sinus irritation in sensitive people.

  

• Smoking is of course the main cause of cough problems. If you find yourself next to someone who smokes, walk away. If you smoke, your cough is probably chronic and you only consider it a nuisance.

  

Step 4. Take medication

If no other remedy has worked, you will need to resort to medication. The best choice is to consult a doctor; there are many drugs to choose from.

• Consider decongestants. They work by reducing the amount of mucus your sinuses make and shrink swollen nasal tissues. In the lungs, they dry out the mucus already present and open the airways. You can find them in pills, syrups and sprays. If you have high blood pressure, however, be careful: they can raise your blood pressure. And if you overuse them, they can dry out your breasts too much, causing a dry cough.

  

• Consider cough suppressants. If you can't sleep because your chest hurts too much, you can use a cough suppressant. Use them only at night though.

  

• Consider expectorants. If your cough is oily, taking an expectorant such as guaifenesin may help. It will loosen the mucus and you will be able to cough it out.
• Do not give over-the-counter medications to children under 4 years old. They can cause serious side effects.

Step 5. See your doctor

A common cough may not require a visit to a doctor, but if it persists or is the side effect of a more serious problem, it's best to see someone who can give you an accurate diagnosis.

• Regardless of how long your cough lasts, if you cough up blood, have chills or are fatigued, see your doctor right away. It will be able to determine the cause of your cough - asthma, allergies, flu, etc.

  

Method 2 of 4: Severe and Persistent Cough

Step 1. See a doctor

If your cough has persisted for more than a month, your subacute cough may have become a chronic cough.

• You may be suffering from sinus infection, asthma, or gastroesophageal reflux. Knowing the cause of your cough is the first step to being able to cure it.

  

• Your doctor may prescribe antibiotics if you have a sinus infection. He may also suggest a nasal spray.
• If you suffer from allergies, you will of course be advised to avoid allergens as much as possible. Your cough could be easily cured in this case.
• If you have asthma, avoid conditions that cause breakouts. Take asthma medications regularly and avoid all irritants and allergens.
• When acid from the stomach enters your throat, you suffer from gastroesophageal reflux. There are medications that your doctor can prescribe to relieve your pain. In addition to this, wait 3 to 4 hours after eating before bedtime and sleep with your head elevated to relieve symptoms.

Step 2. Stop smoking

There are many programs and sources that can help you quit, as well as advice from your doctor. It can suggest a program or let you try new, more effective methods.

If you frequent smokers, secondhand smoke could be the explanation for your cough. Avoid it as much as possible

Step 3. Take medication

Coughing is generally a symptom - cough medications are therefore only taken when the real problem is not known. However, if you have a chronic cough, this is a slightly different situation. Only take medications with the consent of your doctor. Here are your options:

• Antitussives are cough suppressants that require a prescription. It is usually the last drugs that are recommended and only in case nothing else has worked. Over-the-counter cough suppressants are not recommended by doctors.
• Expectorants dissolve mucus, which you can cough out.
• Bronchodilators are drugs that can relax your airways.

Step 4. Increase your fluid intake

Even if the cause of your cough won't go away, you will feel much better.

• Drink mostly water. Fizzy or overly sugary sodas can irritate your throat.
• Warm soups or broths can also help relieve the pain of a sore throat.

Method 3 of 4: For Kids

Step 1. Avoid certain medications

Most over-the-counter medications can cause side effects in children under 4. Remember this when trying to cure children's coughs.

• Cough pills should not be given to children less than

  Step 2. years. They are dangerous and can make them choke.

Step 2. Take care of the health of the throat

Relieving a sore throat reduces the side effects of your child's cold or flu. Take steps to minimize your symptoms.

• Offer him plenty of fluids. Mostly water, tea and juices (breast milk for babies). Eliminate sodas and citrus drinks that can irritate your throat.
• Have him sit in the steamy bathroom for about 20 minutes and put a humidifier in his room. These methods can clear the nasal passages, reduce coughing, and promote peaceful sleep.

Step 3. See a doctor

If your child cannot breathe well or if the cough has lasted for more than three weeks, see a doctor right away.

• If your baby is under three months old or if the cough is accompanied by fever or other symptoms, this is especially important.
• Note if the cough almost always occurs at the same time of year or if it is caused by something specific - it could be an allergy.

Method 4 of 4: Alternative Remedy (Honey and Cream)

Step 1. Get a pot

Heat about 200ml of whole milk.

Add 15 g of honey and about 5 g of butter or margarine. Mix

Step 2. Boil the ingredients until the butter melts

This will cause a yellow layer to form on top of the milk.

The recipe involves this step, do not mix yet

Step 3. Pour the solution into a cup

Allow it to cool slightly before giving it to a child.

Step 4. Sip slowly

Make sure you drink the yellow part as well.

Step 5. The cough should subside

It should stop completely or be greatly reduced within an hour after drinking the solution.

The solution coats the throat, numbing it. It won't cure a cold or the flu

Step 6. Make sure you stay warm

A cold body is more prone to disease.

If you have a dry cough, drink lots of water

Advice

• A cold towel over your throat when lying down should soothe your cough enough for you to sleep.
• There are dozens of home remedies out there. From aloe vera to onions to garlic, there are many remedies for sore throats. If your cough is just a nuisance, experiment at your leisure with home remedies.