You have just finished counting up to a hundred sheep and you have finally found your way to dreamland. Suddenly, and for the nth time, you toss in your bed and go into that horrible coughing attack. “Oh, if I can only get some sleep,” you tell yourself.
If you are familiar with this scenario, and has in fact experienced the same thing at one time or another, then you must now be familiar with the coughing routine. But are you familiar with the ways of getting rid of a bad cough?
Despite what other people may have told you, coughing is not an illness, but it is a symptom that something is wrong with your body. Coughing is your body’s way of getting rid of foreign substances that may have been lodged in your lungs.
But how will you know if your cough is serious or not? A cough can either be acute, one which suddenly starts because of a common illness you have and which does not last long. It can also be chronic, which can last from two to three weeks.
Coughing may be caused by other illnesses which you already have like the flu, asthma, sinusitis, allergies, tuberculosis, pertussis or what is commonly known as whooping cough. Or maybe, you may just have swallowed something which is blocking your throat and which the latter needs to expel, thus the coughing bout.
A cough can be a sign that something is wrong with your lungs, a very important organ which provides your body with oxygen. Just like the other organs of the body, your lungs has its way of defending itself against intruders or foreign substances. Your lungs protects itself through the cilia or little hairs that acts as janitors and sweepers that flush out the foreign substances and particles from your body. Simply said, this is done through coughing.
This means that coughing can be triggered by lung illnesses like asthma, which is particularly related to breathing problems. Asthma is triggered by various things and irritants like pollen, change in the weather, fatigue, food, or allergies. Two illnesses associated with the COPD or the Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease can also trigger coughing attacks. These are Chronic Bronchitis and Emphysema – both caused by smoking. Incidentally, asthma can also be caused by irritants from tobacco smoke.
Once you get a cough, you have to evaluate whether or not you have a dry cough or a phlegm cough. A dry cough, which can be treated by taking a suppressant, is often referred to as an irritant because it disturbs your routine; it will deprive you of sleep and will make you irritable and unable to do your daily chores. A phlegm cough, named as such because the coughing produces phlegm, can be treated by taking an expectorant.
Coughing is not only an irritant but it also causes dehydration. Thus, make sure that you drink plenty of liquid especially water, when you have a cough. Taking lozenges can also help but the attack only stops as long as you are eating this candy medicine.
Medication for the common or ordinary cough can be bought even without prescription. However, avoid self-medication, especially when it involves antibiotics because taking too much and taking the wrong antibiotic may loose its healing effect on you.
While you should not panic when you have a cough, you must not also take it for granted. When your cough has lasted for two weeks, whether or not you took an over the counter medicine for it, then you should see a doctor. Coughing accompanied by blood, or with a white sticky and saliva-like substance should also be a cause for worry.
Once you have decided to see a doctor, then make sure you have all the details at hand because it will help the doctor make a correct diagnosis of your illness. Remember to tell the doctor the duration of your cough, the medicines you have already taken and in what dosage, the allergies you may have with certain substances or irritants, and your medical history.
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