In this article, you will find out How To Stop Cough Fits, including what causes a cough fit, when to see your healthcare provider, and ways to avoid coughing fits. The best method for avoiding coughing fits is identifying and treating the root cause of the cough.
The purpose of the treatment is to not only alleviate the cough, but also to address the root cause. If cough is caused by asthma, proper treatment for asthma may be helpful. This will help people who have asthma, allergies, and infections cough less.
Seek medical attention if you have a pre-existing respiratory condition and your coughing fits are getting worse. It may also help to work with a health care professional to determine whether a common cough is due to allergies, asthma, a cold, or something else. If you are experiencing persistent cough, it is important to schedule an appointment with your health care provider to help identify the cause.
The causes of persistent coughs can range from a cold or allergies to more serious diagnoses and complications. Coughs may also result from viral or bacterial respiratory infections, such as pneumonia, pertussis, and croup. Smokers are most susceptible, as the irritation of smoking triggers coughs that are secondary to infection.
Symptoms include a burning feeling in the throat, which can trigger intense coughing fits. This type of cough is typically a response to mucus or phlegm irritating your throat. It is easier for irritations to find their way into the throat and cause coughing attacks while you are lying down.
Dry, hot air may drier out your throat and airways, making you more susceptible to coughing fits. Using a vape pen or humidifier adds humidity to your air, which may dampen airway passages, potentially making it less likely for dry, hacking coughs to wake you. Warm fluids, like brothy tea or lemon juice, may soothe the throat.
When you think the cough has subsided somewhat, have some hot water to soothe the throat. If the cough does not stop and keeps coming back in short intervals, gargle with some saltwater to cleanse the throat. Reaching for a clear liquid such as water or broth is best for stopping coughing fits.
An occasional cough bringing up small amounts of clear mucus is fine, and it helps to cleanse your throat and lungs. Some coughing is normal and is part of the bodys mechanism for clearing the airways and expelling any foreign materials, but this coughing should only be short and periodic. Coughing can continue up to 3 weeks after other symptoms of the cold stop, and up to 6 weeks in children.
A sudden cough can be worrying, and often requires rapid treatment to stop. Coughs may begin as a small tickle, an uncomfortable twitch in the throat…but they can escalate as quickly as they do, to an all-out snarling fit that keeps you awake when you are trying to sleep. A cough fit may indicate one of a number of possible illnesses caused by viruses or bacteria.
In people who smoke, two common underlying conditions called chronic bronchitis and emphysema may trigger coughing because the lung tissue is destroyed. Asthma and allergies are conditions that can cause coughing too, which are similarly caused by inflammation, he said. Symptoms include coughing with clear, greenish, or yellowish mucus; fatigue; a slight headache; aches in the body; shortness of breath; low-grade fever; discomfort in the chest.
It is also important to call 911 right away if you get a stridor — a high-pitched, choking sound when breathing — if you get a sudden onset cough, or if you get swelling on the tongue, face, or throat, because those symptoms can indicate a medical emergency.
You might also be wondering what questions your healthcare provider may ask, and how you might treat your ongoing cough. A cough can be uncomfortable and bothersome as you attempt to go about your day, and coughing that happens at night may disturb your sleep, too. Whether it is necessary for speaking at work, attending school, caring for a child, or trying to get some sleep, constant coughing can obviously interfere with your ability to function and decrease your quality of life. If you are simply dealing with a common cough, there are home-based solutions that you can try to try and relieve the discomfort.
Natural cough remedies like a teaspoon of honey, moisture (such as from a steam machine), and rest may help, regardless of your cause. Honey has been used for centuries as a home remedy for coughs, and studies have shown that giving honey to children decreases coughing in the evening. Studies suggest that taking a spoonful of honey before you go to sleep may be more effective than real cough medicines in stopping your cough. Some studies found that honey was more effective than over-the-counter cough medicines, including ones containing dextromethorphan (or DM), in controlling coughs and alleviating strep throat.
There is also preliminary evidence suggesting that honey paired with coffee may be helpful in relieving persistent cough after a common cold or upper respiratory infections. Two preliminary studies indicate that thyme can help treat acute bronchitis and relieve cough. Studies suggest that thyme can help reduce cough, including one study which found a thyme mixture reduced the number of fits coughing in bronchitis patients by almost 69%, compared to almost 48% coughing in those given a placebo.
Slippery elm can help soothe strep throats and coughs, and has been used traditionally for that purpose, though there is not much scientific evidence. One Molecules study notes that horehound is commonly used in horehound candies, which can help alleviate cough, reduce harrowing, and may also aid with bronchitis. Horehound typically appears in cough drops, but can also be made into a tea, combined with honey and lemon. Raw honey is a natural cough suppressant and may help the baby who is coughing to sleep, but do not give honey to children younger than a year old.
Sucking cough drops or candies may help with a dry, scratchy cough. Sleeping like this can also help ease GERD (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease), which may trigger coughs.