How to Get Rid Of Bad Cough

Constant cough can make your life miserable. Even a mild cough can be debilitating. Winter season often brings on hacking and spasmodic coughs that leave your chest muscles achy. Some of the most common causes of cough are cold, flu, allergies, asthma, acid reflux, smoking, dry air and respiratory infections. Even certain medications used for allergies and high blood pressure can cause cough.

Many times, people can get rid of their coughs with simple home care or by using cough lozenges, over-the-counter medications, avoiding allergens, or even just taking a hot shower. Find out some of the most effective ways to get rid of bad cough:

    

1) Drink plenty of water

Staying hydrated is the most important way to overcome cough. Cold, flu and respiratory infections can cause continuous nasal discharge due to excessive mucous secretion, which irritates your throat, causing cough. So, drinking plenty of water can loosen up the mucous and keep the mucous membranes moist.

   

2) Consider warm drinks and try lozenges

Drinking warm herbal tea or soup can greatly soothe your throat. There are many evidences to support this type of strategy. You can even try menthol cough drops or cough lozenges, which numb the back of your throat, thereby decreasing the cough reflex.

   

3) Take hot water bath and use humidifier

Taking a hot shower bath can help ease cough by loosening the mucous secretion in the nasal membranes. It can help ease bad cough that is not only caused by cold, but also by allergies. Dry atmosphere in the house can make your nose dry and irritated. So, use a humidifier to put back the moisture in the air.

    

4) Stay away from irritants

For some people, scented bathroom sprays and perfumes can give rise to cough or sinus irritation, secreting more mucous. One of the worst irritants in the air is smoke. Most smokers develop chronic cough. Hence, smokers need to quit smoking in order to get relief from cough.

    

5) Take cough medications

When hot teas, soups, cough lozenges and hot shower do not help, you can consider taking over-the-counter cough medicines. Decongestants, cough suppressants and expectorants are helpful. It is imperative that you use cold and cough medicines after speaking to your GP.

Check with your doctor if your cough persists for more than two weeks even after using cough medicines. More importantly, seek medical help right away if you have trouble breathing or coughing up blood.