Why Do You Cough?

We all cough. You can have a mild cough that can be annoying or a severe cough that can be so harsh it can break a rib.

Experts say coughing is the top reason people see a doctor — more than 30 million visits a year. You can have an acute cough, one that comes on suddenly, like during a cold, or a chronic cough, which lasts more than eight weeks in adults and four weeks in children.

Your first step toward relief is to identify the type of cough you have and what's causing it. Then, consider your symptoms. With that info, you can choose the best treatment.

A cough is supposed to protect you. It gets out stuff that doesn't belong in your lungs and windpipe, such as inhaled dirt or food. But it can also be caused by other things. How long a cough lasts depends on what's causing it.

There are several classifications for coughs. They include:

- Productive cough: Also called a wet cough, this cough brings up mucus or phlegm.

- Nonproductive cough: This is a dry cough that doesn’t bring up mucus or phlegm.

- Acute cough: It comes on suddenly and lasts two to three weeks.

- Subacute cough: This type lingers after you’ve had an infection and can last three weeks.

- Chronic cough: This is a cough that lasts eight weeks for adults and four weeks for children and may require medical attention.

- Refractory cough: This is a chronic cough that hasn’t responded to treatment.

Coughing is your body’s natural reflex, a response to something that affects your throat or airway. It’s mostly a healthy response because your body is trying to protect you.

Food caught in your throat, mucus in your airway, or even certain types of medications can send a message to your brain, telling your chest and stomach muscles to tighten up and push air out of your lungs, making you cough. It might be just one or two coughs or many more. It all depends on what caused the coughing in the first place.

There are many common triggers for both ‘productive’ (or wet) coughs and ‘nonproductive’ (or dry) coughs. Productive coughs help get mucus out of your lungs. Dry coughs don’t produce anything.

Wet coughs can be caused by viruses, postnasal drip, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and heart conditions.

Dry coughs are usually caused by irritants, allergies and asthma, acid reflux, and other conditions such as lung inflammation and drug side effects.

Nighttime can be hard if you have a bad cough. There are several reasons why you might cough more just when you’re trying to get to sleep.

Your body position at night has a lot to do with it. If you have postnasal drip, your mucus might drain on its own during the day as you’re up and about. When you’re lying down, this mucus gathers at the back of your throat, either irritating your vocal cords or causing you to inhale it. Both will make you cough.

Acid reflux and heart failure can also worsen coughing at night. When lying down, acid can move into the throat more easily, and fluid can accumulate in the lungs, causing irritation.

Treating a cough depends on the cause. Options include:

- Medicines: Over-the-counter cough remedies can help in many ways. Suppressants lessen your urge to cough, while expectorants thin mucus and make it easier to hack up.

- Be careful when choosing over-the-counter cough medicines because some people shouldn’t take them. They can interact with some prescription medications and may also cause problems if you are older than 60, or have asthma, high blood pressure, glaucoma, or an enlarged prostate.

- Natural remedies: Drinking warm fluids, using a humidifier, or taking honey can also help soothe your throat and reduce coughing.

- If a cough persists for more than a few weeks, worsens, or is accompanied by severe symptoms such as fever, wheezing, or shortness of breath, seek medical advice.