Cough Hacks: How to Find Relief

Coughing is a normal and healthy reflex. It helps your body clear your airways of mucus, smoke, and other irritants. But constant coughing can take a toll. It may interrupt your sleep, work, and activities, hurt your chest, and tire you out.

It’s best to stop a cough by treating the underlying cause, whether it’s a cold, allergies, acid reflux, or blood pressure drugs, or other medications. But you also can try some home remedies to quiet your cough.

Drink Lots Of Fluids

When you’re sick, mucus can trickle down the back of your nose. Staying hydrated thins the drip so it’s less likely to irritate your throat and trigger a cough. This also makes it easier for your lungs to clear out the discharge.

What’s more, a parched body may push your immune system to release more histamines. These chemicals swell your nose and make more mucus, which can set off a cough.

Swallow Some Honey

It soothes the scratchiness in the back of your throat. One study found that honey works just as well as over-the-counter drugs for calming nighttime coughs. Take a tablespoon as needed, or stir it into a warm drink. Don’t give honey to babies under age 1.

Sip A Hot Drink

Research shows that it can ease cold symptoms, including a cough. The liquids are hydrating, and the heat helps to lower congestion. Brew some calming chamomile tea. Ginger tea is another good choice. The spicy root may help relax the smooth muscles in your airways. Steep chopped ginger in boiling water for 5-10 minutes and discard before sipping.

Clear Irritants From Your Home

Some people are sensitive to perfumes and fragrances in laundry detergents and air fresheners. That may irritate the sinuses and up mucus production, which sets the stage for hacking.

If you have allergies, cleaning away mold, dust, and pollen may help. These allergens may cause a reaction, including a cough. You may need to wash your sheets in hot water, clean your floors with a HEPA-filter vacuum, and scrub windows with a bleach solution.

Sleep On An Incline

If a cold or an allergy is behind your cough, try raising your head. When you lie flat, the mucus can pool and irritate your throat. To put gravity on your side, use an extra pillow, or raise the head of your bed with a stable surface, such as books.

Gargle Saltwater

Along with soothing a sore throat, gargling can also help loosen thick mucus. It can also help clear away allergens and bacteria. To try it, dissolve 1/2 teaspoon of salt into a glass of warm water. Gargle, then spit it out.

Stamp Out Cigarettes

Smoking paralyzes the tiny hairs lining your lungs, called the cilia, which clear out mucus and dirt. That’s why some smokers get a long-term cough. Research so far suggests that the same may happen with vaping. Steer clear of cigarettes, e-cigarettes, and secondhand smoke.

Moisten The Air

A steamy shower or bath can help loosen the mucus and congestion behind your cough. A humidifier also may help. Be sure to clean and change the filter as directed by the manufacturer. This prevents it from blowing mold, fungi, and bacteria in your home.

Rinse Your Nose

It flushes out cough-inducing mucus and allergens from your nasal passages and sinuses. Use a saline spray or try nasal irrigation. With your head tilted over a sink, use a neti pot, nasal cup, or bulb syringe to pour saltwater in one nostril and let it drain out of the other.

Sources:

  1. Eugene Lee, MD, Loyola Medicine, Maywood, IL.
  2. U.S. Library of Medicine: “Cough.”
  3. Endocrinology: “Dehydration Stimulates Hypothalamic Gene Expression of Histamine Synthesis Enzyme: Importance for Neuroendocrine Regulation of Vasopressin and Oxytocin Secretion.”
  4. Rhinology: “The Effects of a Hot Drink on Nasal Airflow and Symptoms of Common Cold and Flu.”
  5. JAMA Pediatrics: “Effect of Honey, Dextromethorphan, and No Treatment on Nocturnal Cough and Sleep Quality for Coughing Children and Their Parents.”
  6. Chest Journal: “Airway Inflammation as an Assessment of Chronic Nonproductive Cough.”
  7. Journal of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology: “Effects of Ginger and Its Constituents on Airway Smooth Muscle Relaxation and Calcium Regulation.”
  8. American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology: “Humidifiers and Indoor Allergies.”
  9. Mayo Clinic: “Sore Throat.”
  10. Urologic Nursing Journal: “Conventional and Alternative Medical Advice for Cold and Flu Prevention: What Should Be Recommended and What Should Be Avoided?”
  11. Thorax: “Pro-Inflammatory Effects of E-Cigarette Vapour Condensate on Human Alveolar Macrophages.”
  12. American Family Physician: “Saline Nasal Irrigation for Upper Respiratory Conditions.”

Important Notice: This article was originally published at www.webmd.com where all credits are due. Reviewed by Jennifer Robinson, MD on November 18, 2020.