What To Do For Dry Hacking Cough
A dry cough is a cough where no mucus or very little mucus is expectorated (coughed up). This is known as a non-productive cough. Most conditions that may cause a cough will present as a dry cough in the early stages. As the disease progresses, the productive nature of the cough will become evident.
- What Do You Do For A Dry Hacking Cough
- What Medicine To Take For Dry Hacking Cough
- What Is Good To Take For A Dry Hacking Cough
- What To Take For Dry Hacking Cough
- What To Give For Dry Hacking Cough
- What To Use For Dry Hacking Cough
- What Helps Dry Hacking Cough
How to Get Rid of a Dry Cough - Staying Hydrated Keep your throat moist. Gargle warm salt water. Drink lots of warm water. Drink hot cinnamon and honey milk before bed. Drink pineapple juice. Use oregano to lessen the intensity of your cough.
- Learn about Dry Cough on Healthgrades.com, including information on symptoms, causes and treatments. Dry Cough - Persistent Dry Cough - Symptoms, Causes, Treatments, Diagnosis Healthgrades.com Skip navigation HG Logo and Link to Home.
- Sleep on an incline.If a cold or an allergy is behind your cough, try raising your head. When you lie flat, the mucus can pool and irritate your throat. To put gravity on your side, use.
- After all, coughing is your body’s way of clearing your throat and airways of mucus, fluids, irritants, or microbes. A dry cough, a cough that doesn’t help to expel any of these, is less common. A dry, hacking cough can be irritating. But it could also be a sign of something more serious.
- Persistent dry coughs. A dry cough that lingers for more than three weeks may be the result of an underlying medical condition such as: Snoring or sleep apnoea – snoring and/or sleep apnoea can cause irritation to the back of the throat which over time can give rise to a persistent, dry cough upon waking.
Coughing is a result of airway irritation which triggers the cough reflex. Apart from expelling irritants from the airway, coughing also removes mucus which may accumulate as a result of hypersecretion from the lining of the airways. Irritation of the airway without excessive mucus production results in a dry cough.This does not mean that no mucus is present in the lung or airways in a dry cough but rather that the quantity of mucus is very little and may not be expectorated upon coughing.
Depending on the cause, other respiratory symptoms may also be noticed like shortness of breath (dyspnea), a hoarse voice and/or abnormal breathing sounds.
Cause of a Dry Cough
As mentioned, most coughs may initially start off as a non-productive cough (dry cough) but can progress to a productive cough (wet cough) with time. Apart from certain infections, any irritation of the airway as result of allergies, air pollution, cigarette smoking and certain drugs may result in a dry cough.
Infectious Causes
Most upper respiratory tract infections may present with a dry cough as the mucus hypersecretion tends to affect the nasal passages and surrounding areas like the paranasal siuses. However, if the infection progresses lower down the respiratory tract or if the mucus drains into the lower airways, a productive cough may be noticed.
A lingering cough following a respiratory tract infection is one of the more common causes of a dry cough. This is a result of bronchial hyper-reactivity and is more prominent in asthmatics (reactive airway disease).
Of the various infections, laryngitis and tracheitis is more likely to present with a dry cough compared to the lower parts of the respiratory tract (bronchi and bronchioles) or lungs. While infectious pneumonia is most likely to present with a wet cough, interstitial pneumonia may result in a dry cough.
Croup (usually viral) and whooping cough (bacterial) are two other infectious causes of a dry cough although less frequently it may present as a productive cough as well, esecially if there is a secondary infection.
Necrotic tonsillitis, often as a result of GERD or chronic infections may also result in a chronic dry cough and patients typically report coughing up food particles that gets trapped within the ulcers and crevasses.
Non-Infectious Causes
Common causes of a non-infectious dry cough includes asthma, GERD and post nasal drip.
What Do You Do For A Dry Hacking Cough
Asthma usually presents with a dry cough, which is easily triggered by any allergen or irritant in the air due to a hyper-reactive airway. White to yellow mucus may at times be expectorated in asthmatics.
In GERD (gastroesophageal reflux) the rising gastric acid, especially after large meals and when sleeping, may irritate the throat (reflux pharyngitis) and trigger a dry cough. Aspiration in GERD however, may cause significant inflammation in the respiratory tract and could result in mucus production (wet cough).
Post-nasal drip is another common cause of a dry cough both in children and adults. However, excessive mucus draining into the respiratory tract and restrained coughing may result in a productive cough as mucus accumulates in the lower respiratory tract. In infectious causes like sinusitis, the lower respiratory tract may also get infected.
What Medicine To Take For Dry Hacking Cough
Environmental, Occupational and Lifestyle
Cold, dry conditions may cause dryness and irritation of the airways. This will often result in an acute dry cough. The cough usually resolves as a person becomes acclimatized to these conditions.
Air pollution is another common cause of a persistent dry cough and is usually associated with smog and industrial pollution. A greater chance of respiratory infections may exist in chronic exposure to pollutants and this will result in bouts of productive coughing. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), particularly chronic bronchitis, may occur over time and result in a persistent wet cough.
Long term cigarette smokers and those exposed to secondary cigarette smoke may also develop a chronic dry cough for the same reasons as those exposed to air pollution.
Occupational lung diseases is commonly caused by exposure to organic and non-organic dusts (like asbestos, silica, textile fibers), noxious gases (like chlorine, ammonia) and radiation.
Interstitial Lung Disease
In interstitial lung disease, a number of causes may result in severe scarring of the lung tissue. This permanently impairs pulmonary function and a dry cough is a prominent clinical feature.
It may be caused by :
What Is Good To Take For A Dry Hacking Cough
- Infections like pneumonia
- Occupational exposure to dusts, gases and radiation
- Air pollution
- Cancer treatment – radiation treatment and chemotherapy
Tumors
Lung cancer may present with a persistent dry cough initially but as the condition progresses a productive cough and hemoptysis (coughing up blood) may become evident. Tumors of the pharynx (throat cancer) and larynx (voice box/vocal cord cancer) may also cause a dry irritating cough.
Drugs
A dry cough is a commonly reported side effect with the chronic use of ACE inhibitors, a drug used in the treatment of hypertension (high blood pressure). Other drugs that may cause a cough includes certain antibiotics, anti-arrhythmia drugs, chemotherapeutic agents, certain medication for psychiatric disorders. The chronic use of some of these drugs may cause interstitial lung disease and thereby lead to a persistent dry cough.
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When it comes to getting over a persistent cough and other cold and flu symptoms, there are a few relatively simple steps you can take. Health experts suggest a regimen of fluids, over-the-counter pain relievers and a decongestant if needed, and lots of rest. Indeed, rest is one of the most important ways your body fights off infections, according to a review published in January 2012 in Pflügers Archiv: European Journal of Physiologv.
What To Take For Dry Hacking Cough
Ironically, getting enough rest can also be the hardest thing to accomplish. You know the scenario: You lie down after a long day of feeling lousy, only to find that you can’t stop coughing. Just when you need sleep the most, your cough symptoms get worse and keep you up all night.
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According to the National Sleep Foundation, 35 percent of Americans report their sleep quality is already 'poor' or only 'fair.' If you fall into that category it's even more important that you resolve your cough and get a good night's rest.
The Science Behind a Cough That's Worse at Night
What To Give For Dry Hacking Cough
There are a number of reasons why cough symptoms get worse — or seem to.
Gravity The biggest reason why we cough more at night is simple: gravity. Mitchell Blass, MD, an infectious disease specialist with Georgia Infectious Diseases PC and a physician at Emory Saint Joseph’s Hospital in Atlanta, says, “When we lie down, mucus automatically begins to pool.” The best way to counteract this gravitational pull is elevation. “Sleep with a pillow propping you up a little,” Dr. Blass suggests. “It will help keep the mucus from collecting in the back of the throat.”
What To Use For Dry Hacking Cough
A dry, indoor environment Dry air can aggravate an already irritated nose and throat, making your nighttime cough worse. You can try a humidifier to put moisture back into the air and make it easier to breathe, but be sure to take proper care of the unit.
“Humidifiers are not always safe,” warns Blass. “If the water you put in it isn’t sterile, you run the risk of cycling the germs back into the air or breeding other diseases.” The last thing people with a cold or flu want is to experience complications, says Blass. “Bacterial infections can set in. Many flu-related deaths are caused by pneumonia that hits after people think they’re over the flu.” To ensure you use a humidifier safely, be sure to carefully follow all the directions that come with it.
Clearing congestion Before you curse the cough, remember this: Coughs are actually important in helping you get well. The coughing reflex helps keep your throat and airways clear. As annoying as it may be, that persistent cough is breaking up mucus and helping your body get well.
How to Manage a Dry Nighttime Cough
Though most coughs associated with colds and flu are beneficial for clearing congestion from your lungs and airways, sometimes you can get a dry, hacking cough that lingers. Dry coughs can make your airways, throat, and chest sore and keep you from getting much-needed rest.
When it seems like you just can’t stop coughing, try these tips:
- Be sure to drink plenty of fluids throughout the evening before bed — liquids may help thin the mucus in your throat and make it easier to cough up.
- Before you go to sleep, suck on a cough drop or hard candy to soothe your throat and decrease the urge to cough.
- Ask your pharmacist for the best cough medicine formulated specifically for a dry cough.
- Call your doctor if the cough lasts more than 7 to 10 days. If your cough persists with nasal symptoms that improve but then get worse again, you should be checked for sinusitis, says John A. Zora, MD, an allergist with Atlanta Allergy and Asthma in Atlanta. In that case, an antibiotic may be prescribed. If you're waking up coughing, or your cough lasts longer than a week or two, it could be the result of another health condition, such as bronchitis, chronic sinusitis, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), asthma, or pneumonia, so a doctor's input is crucial.
What Helps Dry Hacking Cough
Follow these tips to help get some quality rest. And remember, while coughs can play a positive role in helping you recover, it’s important to pay attention to the course of your illness. If you continue to feel worse and the cough persists for more than a week, call your doctor.