How to Stop Coughing: What Your Cough Can Tell You

Coughing is something we all experience from time to time. Often, it’s just a tickle in your throat or clearing out some post-nasal drip. But sometimes, coughing doesn’t stop. Understanding the cause of your cough can help you treat it, prevent spreading illness and know when it’s time to call your doctor.

Dry Cough vs. Wet Cough

Knowing what type of cough you have can reveal a lot:

• Dry cough: Scratchy, tickly, or irritating, common with viral infections, asthma or environmental triggers.
• Wet cough: Produces mucus, phlegm or congestion, often linked to bronchitis, pneumonia or post-nasal drip from allergies.

“Knowing whether your cough is dry or wet is the first step in treating it properly,” said Brian Curtis, MD, vice president, chief medical officer, OSF Medical Group.

Common Causes of Cough

Coughs don’t all start the same way. Here are some of the most common causes:

• Viral infections, such as flu, colds or COVID-19
• Bronchitis, an inflammation of the airways, which causes a lingering wet cough
• Asthma often triggers dry cough, wheezing or nighttime coughing
• Allergies can cause post-nasal drip leading to chronic throat clearing and coughing
• Ear infections, especially in children, can trigger a reflex cough

“Coughing is your body’s way of clearing the airways,” Dr. Curtis said. “It helps to pay attention to patterns, timing and the severity of your cough to nail down what’s causing it.”

Cough Treatment at Home

Most coughs improve with home remedies, especially if they are caused by a virus or are mild. Here are some tips to stop your cough:

• Drink water or broth to help loosen mucus
• Add honey and lemon to your tea to soothe a scratchy throat
• Inhale warm steam to ease congestion and help you breathe easier
• Cough drops can temporarily calm a tickly throat
• Try elevating your head while sleeping to avoid nighttime coughing
• Avoid anything that might irritate your throat, like smoke, strong perfumes or cold air

For sudden, uncontrollable coughing fits, try slow, deep breaths and sipping warm fluids to help calm your throat.

When to See a Doctor for a Cough

While many coughs are mild, for certain symptoms it’s best to call your doctor, including:

• Fever that doesn’t improve with medication
• Chronic cough lasting longer than three weeks
• Coughing up blood or large amounts of mucus
• Sudden attacks of coughing with gagging
• Coughing so hard you throw up
• Shortness of breath

“Persistent or severe coughing should be evaluated so we can rule out anything serious, like pneumonia, asthma complications or bronchitis,” Dr. Curtis said.

“Any chronic, productive cough warrants evaluation by a doctor, especially if there’s shortness of breath,” Dr. Meeker said. “That’s because lung function needs to be evaluated to make sure there’s no obstructive disease. If there is obstruction, the patient may benefit not only from treating the cough but from using inhalers to help open their airways. This type of chronic bronchitis can be very severe and is referred to as chronic obstructive bronchitis, which is another type of COPD.”

How to Prevent Coughing

The easiest way to stop a cough? Keep it from starting in the first place.

Staying up to date on your flu, pneumonia and COVID-19 vaccines helps protect you from illnesses that often trigger coughing. Washing your hands regularly and keeping your distance from people who are sick can also help keep germs out of your airways.

If you have allergies or asthma, taking care of them can prevent cough flare-ups. Avoid smoking or being around others who do as it can trigger irritation in your throat and lungs.