Cough is a reflex reaction of the body to irritation of the receptors of the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract. It can occur suddenly or recur constantly. Sometimes a cough torments a person with seizures. They do not let you sleep at night and interfere during the day. This can happen for various reasons. And before looking for a way to relieve a coughing fit, you need to understand why it appeared. After all, any means will be ineffective if the cause of the attack is not eliminated.
Why there is a cough
This symptom of many diseases interferes with a person's physical activity, exhausts the body, and attracts the attention of others. Coughing can occur for the following reasons:
- due to colds, flu, SARS;
- inflammatory diseases of the bronchi and lungs - pneumonia, tuberculosis, bronchitis;
- for whooping cough, bronchial asthma;
- due toheart failure, heart defects, pathologies of large vessels;
- for diseases of the upper respiratory tract: sinusitis, laryngitis, tonsillitis;
- due to an allergic reaction;
- smokers;
- due to the penetration of various irritants into the respiratory tract: dust, smoke, small objects, chemicals.
A bout of dry cough
Most of the aforementioned diseases begin with a dry cough. It most often occurs in the form of seizures. This may cause pain behind the sternum or in the throat, shortness of breath, vomiting. This is a cough without sputum discharge, which is why it is also called unproductive. It often occurs due to an allergic reaction or inhalation of a foreign body. Attacks of dry cough in adults and children should be removed with medicines or folk remedies. The main thing in this case is to moisturize the mucous membrane and relieve irritation.
Can a wet cough be blocked
When coughing up sputum, it is considered productive, as it clears the airways of mucus. Such a wet cough cannot be removed. On the contrary, he needs to be helped with the help of expectorants and mucus-thinning agents. But in some cases, a wet cough can also cause seizures. They are relieved by inhalations, warm drinks or special medicines.
Why attacks often happen at night
Cough can occur at different times, it depends on the causes that caused it, and the characteristics of the disease. But most of the time it happenscough at night. Especially with rhinitis, laryngitis or heart failure. The occurrence of seizures is affected by the horizontal position of the body. In this case, mucus flows down the trachea and irritates the respiratory tract. In addition, relaxed muscles and slowed circulation contribute to mucus stasis in the lungs.
First aid for an attack
Coughs don't always need to be eliminated. Often it is a defensive reaction of the body. Therefore, helping a person suffering from a cough should be to alleviate his condition:
- you need to sit down, leaning on a pillow, or stand up, leaning forward a little;
- relax and calm down;
- humidify the air, for example, put a wet towel on the radiator, turn on the humidifier or put a pot of hot water nearby;
- dissolve 20 drops of valerian tincture in 100 g of water and drink;
- chamomile tea helps;
- you can suck on a menthol or honey lollipop.
And how to relieve a coughing fit that caught a person not at home, for example, on the street or at work? You need to stand up straight, raise your right hand up and pull it as high as possible until the cough stops.
Do I need to see a doctor
Usually, episodic bouts of dry cough in adults should not cause concern. If they do not recur and do not bring serious discomfort, you can deal with them yourself. Many patients with chronic conditions, such as allergies or asthma, know how to relieve a coughing fit. But there are cases when it is better to see a doctor:
- high temperature;
- cough lasts longer than a week;
- he is accompanied by chest pain, vomiting, choking;
- there is blood in the sputum, it is very thick, yellow or green.
How to relieve a coughing fit in a child
Special attention should be paid to such symptoms in children. If the cough is accompanied by fever, runny nose, watery eyes and weakness, then it is caused by a cold or a virus. To get rid of such a cough, you need to treat the underlying disease. You need to see a doctor for this, you should not give the child medication yourself.
If coughing is the only symptom, it may be due to an allergic reaction or a foreign body entering the respiratory tract. This often happens in babies who are left unattended: they can inhale the parts of toys, crumbs from food or other small objects. It is necessary to immediately consult a doctor if the child's cough is accompanied by high fever, weakness, shortness of breath. And if the baby began to choke, his face turned pale or blue, you need to call an ambulance.
And how to relieve a coughing fit in a child on your own?
- give him warm milk with soda and honey to drink;
- humidify indoor air;
- if cough causes mucus flowing from the nose, drip vasoconstrictor drops;
- for allergies - remove the allergen and give an antihistamine prescribed by the doctor to drink;
- if a child chokes,you need to put it on your knees on your stomach or tilt your head down and hit between the shoulder blades several times towards the head.
Cough medicines for adults
All drugs can be taken only after examination by a doctor and determining the cause of the cough. Basically, they affect the body in a complex way. How to relieve a coughing fit with medication?
- There are drugs that suppress the cough reflex. Basically, they are sold by prescription, as they contain codeine. But you can also relieve an attack of dry cough with the help of such medicines: "Libexin", "Sinekod", "Stoptussin", "Bronholitin".
- For a cold cough, you can take plant-based syrups: Gedelix, Gerbion, Dr. Mom, marshmallow syrup or licorice root.
- To treat a wet cough, drugs with an expectorant effect are used. They improve the expectoration of sputum and clear the airways of mucus. These are "Lazolvan", "Ambrobene", "Halixol".
- Sudden onset of dry cough may be due to an allergic reaction. Then antihistamines will help: Tavegil, Suprastin.
Folk recipes for cough
Such remedies help to relieve coughing attacks in an adult. But not all of them are suitable for helping with an attack. Most folk recipes need to be prepared in advance, this isdone in the event that a person's cough is repeated often. Other medicines are taken for a long time, which is also more suitable for the treatment of chronic cough. But there are also cough remedies for adults that can help ease or make them less frequent.
- Dry nettle grass pour vodka and leave for 10 days in a dark place. Drink a tablespoon for attacks.
- To sleep peacefully at night, you need to burn a tablespoon of sugar in a dry frying pan. Dilute this zhzhenka in a quarter glass of water and add a few drops of aloe juice.
- Prevents the occurrence of coughing fits at night decoction of sage in milk. Such a remedy is prepared in advance: boil a tablespoon of herbs in a glass of milk and leave for 30-40 minutes.
- Tea with ginger, honey and lemon works well.
- If you are not allergic to bee products, you can mix honey with butter and eat a spoonful of this remedy with warm milk.
- In some cases, warming the chest helps. You can make an iodine net, a boiled potato compress, or rub yourself with a cold ointment.
Be he althy!
