How to Get Relief From a Cough

Coughing helps to remove substances, such as mucous, from your lungs and throat, and prevent chest infections. Your body also responds to irritants by coughing. Yet, a persistent cough can cause irritation. Common causes of coughing include colds, the flu and asthma. Your cough may sound dry or chesty. Depending on the source of your cough, relief may come by various means.

Things You'll Need

• Honey
• Tea
• Lemon juice
• Chicken soup
• Cough suppressant
• Expectorant
• Inhaled corticosteroids

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Instructions

• 1

  Honey works as a natural cough suppressant.

  Adding honey and lemon to your tea can help reduce coughing. Honey is a natural cough supressant, while lemon helps to loosen phlegm. Honey taken prior to bedtime also helps to reduce nighttime coughing, so you can sleep.

• 2

  Chicken soup helps loosen phlegm, associated with some coughs.

  Eat chicken soup. The broth from chicken soup loosens mucous in your chest and helps to promote the removal of phlegm.

• 3

  Over the counter cough suppressants can reduce persistent coughing.

  Take a cough suppressant for persistent coughs. Suppressants work by inhibiting the cough reflex caused by mucous.

• 4

  Take an expectorant when you have a dry cough. Dry coughs produce no phlegm. Expectorants help to loosen mucous, which you can then cough out.

• 5

  If you have been diagnosed with asthma, use your inhaled corticosteroid as directed, especially when you have a cold or the flu. Your asthma medication can prevent bouts of coughing.