Attacks of dry cough: what to do. What to do during a coughing attack and how to help at home

To relieve attacks of painful coughing, we bring to your attention three popular methods: breathing, general and rubbing.

A constant cough can cause a lot of inconvenience not only to the patient himself, but also to those around him. Here are some tips on how you can relieve coughing attacks and make breathing easier.

Try not to breathe through your mouth and inhale air only through your nose.
Between breaths, try to clear your throat for eight seconds.
Repeat the steps for 4-5 minutes.

This remedy can be used if you are in a public place and you urgently need to suppress severe coughing attacks.

Rub your feet thoroughly and apply a warming balm to them.
Put on warm socks and lie down for at least five minutes, completely relaxed.
If your cough doesn't go away, walk around a bit without taking off your socks.

To carry out the procedure, use any warming balm that is available at your nearest pharmacy.

Drink plenty of water. The liquid will help remove harmful bacteria from the body and will maintain moisture in the mucous membrane of the throat. Dissolve cough lozenges and lozenges. This remedy also helps to moisturize the mucous membrane and eliminates sore throat.
Drink herbal tea or lemon juice dissolved in warm water. You can add honey to it. Warm liquid will make phlegm more liquid, and honey will soothe irritated mucous membranes and ease coughing attacks.
Chew a piece of ginger with salt. This will help relieve irritation from the throat mucosa.
Gargle with salted water. Salt has a disinfecting effect on the mucous membranes of the throat and mouth and makes breathing easier. Try not to swallow salt water.

Mix a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar and a glass of water and drink this mixture. Vinegar has an anti-inflammatory and antiseptic effect on the throat.
Inhale over a special device or just in the shower. Warm steam makes mucus less viscous and improves the expectoration process.
Boil two cinnamon sticks in lime juice. Cinnamon thins phlegm, and lime contains a lot of vitamin C, which will strengthen your immune system and your body will be better able to fight cough.
Get plenty of rest and relaxation so that your body can accumulate energy to fight the cold.
Keep the air clean. Make sure that the air in your apartment is free of irritants: cigarette smoke or other fumes. Dirty air will irritate your lungs and worsen coughing attacks.

Drink plenty of water. But this needs to be done slowly and with long pauses, so as not to cause another coughing attack.
When you lie down, you start coughing. But this does not happen when you are sitting. Therefore, when going to bed, place several pillows under your head.
To stop coughing attacks, use lozenges or special drops
Drink ginger tea if you don't want to chew ginger. To do this, add grated ginger root to boiling water and let it simmer for five minutes. After this, you can immerse a bag of your favorite tea in the liquid and let it brew for a few minutes, and then add sugar to taste.
Gargle with salt water. But the results will appear only after you carry out the procedure every two hours for three days.

Attention! If your cough does not stop or you produce too much mucus when you cough, be sure to consult a doctor.

Cough is a reflex reaction of the body to irritation of receptors in the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract. It can occur suddenly or recur constantly. Sometimes a cough torments a person in attacks. They keep you awake at night and disturb you during the day. This can happen for various reasons. And before you look for a way to cough, you need to understand why it appeared. After all, any means will be ineffective if the cause of the attack is not eliminated.

Why does a cough appear?

This symptom of many diseases interferes with a person’s physical activity, exhausts the body, and attracts the attention of others. A cough may appear for the following reasons:

Attack of dry cough

Most of the above diseases begin with a dry cough. It most often occurs in the form of attacks. This may cause pain in the chest or throat, shortness of breath, and vomiting. This is a cough without sputum production, which is why it is also called non-productive. It often occurs due to an allergic reaction or exposure to attacks of dry cough in adults and children that need to be relieved with medications or folk remedies. The main thing is to moisturize the mucous membrane and relieve irritation.

Is it possible to block a wet cough?

When a cough produces phlegm, it is considered productive because it clears mucus from the airways. Such a wet cough cannot be cleared up. On the contrary, he needs to be helped with expectorants and sputum thinners. But in some cases it can also cause seizures. They are relieved by inhalation, warm drinks or special medications.

Why do attacks often occur at night?

A cough can occur at different times, depending on the reasons that caused it and the characteristics of the disease. But most often a coughing attack occurs at night. Especially with rhinitis, laryngitis or heart failure. The occurrence of attacks is influenced 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 slow blood circulation contribute to mucus stagnation in the lungs.

First aid for an attack

It is not always necessary to get rid of a cough. Often it is a protective reaction of the body. Therefore, helping a person suffering from cough should consist of alleviating 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 place a pan of hot water next to it;
dilute 20 drops of valerian tincture in 100 g of water and drink;
Chamomile tea helps;
You can suck on a lollipop with menthol or honey.

How to relieve a coughing attack that finds 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.

Should I see a doctor?

Typically, occasional bouts of dry cough in adults should not be a cause for concern. If they do not recur and do not cause serious discomfort, you can cope with them yourself. Many patients with chronic diseases, such as allergies or asthma, know how to relieve a coughing attack. But there are cases when it is better to consult a doctor:

How to relieve a coughing attack in a child

You should be especially careful about 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 should consult a doctor for this; you should not give your child medications on your own.

If cough is the only symptom, this may be the result of an allergic reaction or a foreign body entering the respiratory tract. This often happens to babies who are left unattended: they can inhale parts of toys, food crumbs or other small objects. You should immediately consult a doctor if your child’s cough is accompanied by high fever, weakness, or shortness of breath. And if the baby begins to choke, his face turns pale or blue, you need to call an ambulance.

How can you relieve a child’s coughing attack on your own?

Cough medicines for adults

All medications can be taken only after examination by a doctor and determination of the cause of the cough. Basically, they have a complex effect on the body. How to relieve a cough attack with medications?

Traditional cough recipes

Such remedies are good for relieving coughing attacks in adults. But not all of them are suitable for helping with an attack. Most folk recipes need to be prepared in advance; this is done if a person’s cough recurs frequently. Other medications are taken for a long time, which is also more suitable for treatment. But there are also cough remedies for adults that will help ease attacks or make them less frequent.

Pour dry nettle herb with vodka and leave for 10 days in a dark place. Drink a tablespoon during attacks.
To sleep peacefully at night, you need to burn a tablespoon of sugar in a dry frying pan. Dilute this burnt mixture in a quarter glass of water and add a few drops of aloe juice.
Prevents coughing attacks at night with a decoction of sage in milk. This remedy is prepared in advance: boil a tablespoon of the herb in a glass of milk and leave for 30-40 minutes.
Tea with ginger, honey and lemon helps a lot.
If you are not allergic to bee products, you can mix honey with butter and eat a spoonful of this product with warm milk.
In some cases, warming the chest helps. You can make a compress from boiled potatoes or rub yourself with ointment for colds.

If you also have the flu and a severe cough that refuses to go away, you likely won't be able to fall asleep quickly. The whole day awaits you next discomfort, frost on the skin and a runny nose, however, the worst is yet to come. When you come home and all you want to do is fall into bed to rest and recuperate, your cough will become your worst enemy.

And if the symptoms of the disease are not so pronounced in the morning, then during the day they will intensify: frequent sneezing; nasal congestion; increase in body temperature in the evening. The question arises: Why does the cough get worse at night? Professor Alian Maurice, director of cardiorespiratory research at York Medical School, answered this question: “You are constantly swallowing throughout the day, which helps dry out mucus in the nose. When we go to bed, it becomes more difficult to clear our airways naturally, and we also don't swallow as vigorously as during the day."

When we lie down, mucus begins to collect in the nose and throat, leaving us with the only alternative - breathe through your mouth. At the same time, the nerves of the throat become dry and irritated and a sonata of uncontrollable coughing begins. Thus, the negative consequences of a dry night cough are:

Irritation of the mucous membrane of the throat;
Lack of rest due to frequent awakenings at night;
Causing disturbance to people sleeping nearby;
Possibility of choking on saliva or mucus.

After spending a sleepless night, you feel tired, the pain in the back and neck is unbearable, there is a feeling of depression, the chest is on fire and our throat is so dry that an ordinary sigh turns into a real drama. You are asking questions: “How to relieve a coughing attack at night in an adult, how to stop a cough that is starting?” However, no need to worry there is a solution: It is possible to overcome a coughing attack at night in an adult and return to a pleasant sleep if you follow the following simple tips and use folk remedies for cough.

Sleep bent over and don't sleep on your back

You can get rid of coughing attacks in an adult at night using posture during sleep. The mucus that is found in our nose, chest and throat is the culprit that irritates our throat when we lie down on the bed. The position we occupy in bed helps fight cough, and if you've had a sleepless night coughing constantly, know that the more inclined you are, the better.

To do this, there is no need to sleep sitting up; put a few extra pillows under your head so that it lies higher, and let gravity itself do the necessary work.

Although sleeping on our back allows our lungs to rest and expand, it is also possible that if we have a cold, it will be difficult to breathe in this position, especially if we have a stuffy nose. Try to lie on your side to facilitate the flow of mucous fluid in the right direction.

Take a hot shower and gargle

You can relieve a cough using hot water steam. Not only will a hot shower allow you to relax after a long day of sniffles and sneezing, but the hot water steam also helps soften mucus and, as a result, makes it easier to clear it from your nose and chest. Inhale the steam slowly for several minutes and then blow your nose or cough to remove any remaining mucus from your respiratory organs.

Gargling is a preventive, cheap and simple remedy that relieves throat irritation and helps prevent coughing. Adding a little lemon or honey to hot water is ideal for soothing and moisturizing your throat. Gargling will help you swallow and breathe easily throughout the night.

Prepare the room, change bed linens and monitor humidity

When you are weak, feel very tired and the only thing you want to do is get up at night in search of a glass of milk, candy or a pill that will help you fall asleep. Rest is essential, so it is important that you set up your room to be the ideal place to sleep. Place everything you need on your nightstand in advance: water, tissues, cough syrup, etc.

Dust mites and other allergens reside in your bedding, waiting for the night to attack your body. When we have a cold, our cough increases and our breathing becomes difficult, which irritates our throat. It is very important to change bed linens at least once a week and wash them at a temperature of at least 60 C to kill all bacteria.

It is also recommended to dry washed clothes in the sun. Sunlight is a very effective means of killing microorganisms. You also need to ventilate the sleeping area every day. Fresh air flow is a simple way to prevent the appearance of harmful bacteria and microorganisms.

A humidifier helps you breathe easier when you have a cold by eliminating dry throat during sleep. The ideal air humidity is 50%.

Another necessary remedy for colds is drinking plenty of water, which moisturizes the mucous membrane of the throat, thereby reducing its irritation.

How to stop a coughing attack at night: folk remedies

Lemon and honey juice

When answering the question of how to stop a coughing attack, you should immediately remember lemon and honey. This remedy allows you to quickly relieve an attack of dry night cough.

Ingredients:

One glass of warm water (200 ml);
Juice from one lemon;
One teaspoon of honey.

Mix all ingredients and drink in small sips before going to bed. If you want, you can also put a tea bag in a glass of water. This drink has soothing properties, softens mucus, clearing the airways. In addition, lemon is a source of vitamin C, the consumption of which improves the body's protective properties, and this vitamin is also a good antiseptic. Honey is an antiseptic and antioxidant.

This home remedy for night coughs is believed to be sweet and warm, causing more saliva to be produced which also soothes throat irritation and promotes liberation respiratory tract from mucus.

Sucking candy and chocolate

There is also no need to go to the pharmacy, any pill or food that can be sucked on can relieve throat irritation, what's more, suckable candies contain refreshing ingredients, e.g. eucalyptus or mint. Caramel provides life-saving relief from colds: by sucking the caramel, we stimulate the secretion of saliva, which relieves the sore throat when we swallow it and allows mucus to flow freely.

Another effective remedy that allows you to quickly get rid of night attacks of dry cough is chocolate. Dark chocolate contains a substance called theobromine, the consumption of which produces a cough suppressant effect that is stronger than conventional cough syrups. This substance, which is also found in tea, although in smaller quantities than in cocoa, helps suppress vagus nerve activity, thus avoiding the occurrence of a reflex act that provokes a cough. According to one British study conducted in 2013, eating one chocolate bar a day is enough to combat acute coughs, including chronic ones.

Garlic and onion

These two vegetables have a strong antiseptic effect and can destroy any virus or bacteria that causes a cough. Besides eating these vegetables raw, you can make broth out of them.

Ingredients:

Half an onion;
One clove of garlic;
Required amount of water.

Place all ingredients in a saucepan and heat over heat. Filter the liquid. You may not like the taste of this drink, so you can add some lemon juice. Drink fluids before going to bed.

Drink

If night cough occurs frequently, you should always leave it next to your bed. water bottle. You should also drink more water or other liquids throughout the day. Herbal tinctures, green tea, natural fruit juices and mineral water are the most recommended drinks. In addition to the appearance of cough in winter, many people suffer from it in the warm months of the year. Instead of drinking hot tea, you can pour it into a bottle and carry it with you to drink throughout the day. In addition, the problem of dehydration is also solved in this way.

Another effective means to stop dry cough at night in an adult, it is milk. This remedy has contraindications for those people for whom lactose causes increased mucous secretions in the respiratory tract. If you are lactose tolerant, you can drink a cup of hot or warm milk with honey before bed. This drink will help you sleep and relieve a sore throat.

Maria 12/05/2018

Gedelix helps us well during attacks. No wonder the instructions say that it relieves spasms

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When infectious agents, dust or allergens enter the bronchi and lungs, respiratory tract receptors are irritated and a cough occurs. The latter helps to cleanse the tracheobronchial tree from irritants such as sputum, mucus, pus, and various foreign bodies. Coughing attacks in adults and children can occur as a result of viral respiratory pathologies, including ARVI, bronchitis and others, but how can we figure out why they occur in the absence of symptoms characteristic of colds?

What are coughing fits

This phenomenon serves as a response of the body to the influence of any irritant, manifested by a sudden onset of coughing. The latter can be convulsive during attacks, when due to coughing impulses following each other, a person cannot take a breath. Sometimes a paroxysmal symptom ends with vomiting, heart rhythm disturbances, and fainting. This phenomenon is not an independent disease, but only a symptom indicating the presence of a certain disorder in the body.

Reasons

Coughing attacks can occur in a number of different respiratory diseases, which differ only in additional symptoms. The doctor prescribes treatment for cough syndrome only after determining the root cause of the pathology. So, a paroxysmal cough may be a sign of:

acute respiratory infections or acute respiratory viral infections;
acute or chronic bronchitis;
abnormalities in the functioning of the respiratory system;
allergic reaction;
whooping cough;
tuberculosis;
bronchial asthma;
the presence of malignant tumors;
deviations in the functioning of the cardiovascular system.

Dry

This symptom may indicate some internal pathologies and infectious diseases. In addition, some psychotropic and antihypertensive drugs and diuretics can cause a dry paroxysmal cough. In this case, the attacks have a mild intensity (a slight frequent cough is observed). When assessing bronchospasm, one should take into account the strength of the cough impulse, the frequency of manifestation and the time of occurrence (morning, afternoon, night, during meals, etc.). The causes of intense dry spastic exhalation are:

ARVI;
acute bronchitis;
whooping cough;
bronchial asthma;
entry of foreign objects into the respiratory tract.

Chronic dry cough appears for other reasons, and the symptom is characterized by the duration of its course. Factors causing its development include:

presence of neoplasms;
tuberculosis;
heart defects;
regular exposure to stress factors;
smoking;
chronic inflammation of the mucous membranes of the respiratory organs;
pathologies of the endocrine system;
gastrointestinal diseases.

Sudden

A sudden dry or wet cough is a symptom indicating a bacterial or viral infection. Sudden spasmodic exhalations are typical for smokers, but non-smokers should be wary of such attacks, which are repeated over several days. The occurrence of this symptom can be explained by the presence of viral infections or non-infectious diseases and pathological conditions of the respiratory, nervous, cardiovascular, digestive, and immune systems. Possible causes of sudden attacks include:

abnormal structure of the vocal cords or larynx;
infectious and/or colds such as bronchitis, inflammation of the larynx, lungs, ARVI, influenza, etc.;
long-term smoking;
presence of a foreign object in the respiratory tract;
bronchial asthma of an allergic nature;
gastroesophageal reflux disease (stomach juice flows back into the esophagus, resulting in an attack of spasmodic exhalations after eating);
the presence of certain diseases of the cardiovascular system (for example, cardiac ischemia);
allergic postnasal edema;
nervous tension before important events;
in infants this occurs during teething due to excess salivation.

An attack of dry cough at night in an adult

The factors causing this symptom, which is accompanied by fever, are obvious - respiratory tract infections, pneumonia or acute bronchitis. In some cases, unproductive attempts to cough in adults and children occur at night for no apparent reason. Having intense attacks of dry cough at night, the patient may feel great throughout the day and not cough at all, or only do so occasionally. Symptoms that appear only during sleep may indicate:

asthma;
gastric reflux;
sinusitis;
heart failure;
cold;
iron deficiency;
allergies (if symptoms appear exclusively at night, then the allergen should be looked for near the place of sleep).

How to stop

To eliminate or stop a symptom that appears suddenly, you should find out what causes it. If the cause of coughing attacks is not due to any pathology, but is of physiological origin, spastic exhalations quickly pass without complications and there is no need for treatment. Often this symptom is observed in a child in the morning and is a consequence of the body’s attempt to free the bronchi from mucus accumulated overnight.

The doctor may prescribe anti-inflammatory drugs, antibiotics for influenza or pneumonia, and bronchodilators for bronchial asthma. If the cause of the pathological condition is an allergy, then the allergen should first be eliminated; in addition, the doctor will prescribe an antihistamine. For symptomatic treatment of cough, mucolytic and expectorant drugs are used. If there is no need to liquefy and remove sputum, antitussive medications such as Codeine are sometimes indicated.

In case of a sudden attack of spastic incessant exhalations caused by stress and anxiety, you can take motherwort and valerian. Cough caused by GERD is treated with antacids. If the cause of spastic exhalations is a foreign object that makes breathing difficult, it is removed from the nose, but this is done very carefully so as not to damage the mucous membrane. If a child has a cough, do not try to remove the object yourself, since it can move inside and enter the bronchi/lungs, which will increase the signs of suffocation.

First aid

To relieve an attack, it is necessary to lay the patient down so that the head is slightly elevated. To stimulate the removal of mucus, you should take an antitussive drug. If a person is in serious condition, it is better to call an ambulance. If foreign objects enter the larynx, the patient is hospitalized in a surgical hospital. Adults and children with inflammatory lung disease are sent to the therapeutic department, and with gangrene of the organ - to surgery.

To stop a child’s cough at night, you should sit the baby in bed, calm him down and provide him with a warm drink (milk with honey, heated mineral water with soda, a decoction of medicinal herbs). Such drinks can soften the mucous membrane, eliminate discomfort and sore throat that occurs during spastic exhalations. In addition, to alleviate the child’s condition, it is important to humidify the air in the room.

To suppress a cough attack in babies 6 months and older, you can use inhalations. For this purpose, eucalyptus and cedar oils are used. In addition, a decoction of potatoes is suitable for the procedure - a remedy that eliminates sore throat, shortness of breath, and moisturizes the respiratory tract. Inhalation is carried out as follows:

pour hot water into a bowl;
add a couple of drops of essential oil to it;
The baby is picked up and covered with a towel over his head, left to inhale the steam until the attack stops.

Medicines

Symptom therapy should be aimed at eliminating the causes of the pathological condition, however, symptomatic treatment also plays an important role. A debilitating cough should be relieved as soon as it occurs to prevent damage to the laryngeal mucosa. Only a doctor will choose the right medicine, taking into account the individual characteristics of a particular patient, the root cause of the symptom and the appropriateness of treatment.

Antitussives

Medicines of this group are used when the secretion is not separated, it is produced in minimal quantities, or the secretion has a thick and viscous texture. Remedies for dry cough are:

Sinekod. The medicine contains butamirate and is available in the form of drops and syrup. Sinekod is intended for the treatment of dry cough of any origin. The drug begins to act within 15-20 minutes after administration and can be given even to small children (from 2 months) - these are the big advantages of the drug. The disadvantage of Sinekod is the unpleasant, sharp taste.
Codeine. This drug belongs to narcotic drugs, which can cause addiction when the dosage is increased, so the drug is used exclusively as prescribed by a doctor and with precise adherence to dosages. The advantages of the drug are its high efficiency and analgesic effect.
Bromhexine. This mucolytic drug is often prescribed to treat dry, spasmodic exhalations. The medicine does not relieve the cough protective reflex, so you should not expect an immediate effect. Bromhexine gradually thins and removes mucus, so that a dry cough turns into a productive wet cough. The big advantage of the medicine is its ability to stimulate the production of surfactant in the bronchi, which helps clear them of mucus faster.

Antihistamines

An allergic cough may not appear immediately, but this symptom is difficult to confuse with others, since it is characterized by swelling of the nasal mucosa, frequent sneezing and runny nose. Cough attacks are always unproductive (without sputum production). Antihistamines are used to treat this symptom, including:

Tavegil. A synthetic medicine of powerful action, available in the form of tablets, ointments, suppositories, sprays, solutions. Take the drug in a weekly course. The advantage of the drug is the absence of sedation. The disadvantage of Tavegil is that the drug should not be taken by children under one year of age or by women during pregnancy and lactation.
Suprastin. One of the most popular antiallergic drugs. Available in the form of tablets and infections, which have an effect as quickly as possible in acute allergic reactions. Suprastin for coughs in adults is prescribed for almost all types of allergies. The advantage of the drug is that it can be taken even by newborns, since the drug is absolutely harmless and has no side effects.
Cetrin. The medicine belongs to the group of selective drugs and is valued for its lack of effect on the nervous system. The advantage of Cetrin is that it does not have a sedative or depressant effect. The disadvantage of the drug is its average antihistamine effect.

How to stop a child's cough

A common cause of coughing attacks in children is laryngitis - swelling of the mucous membrane, which occurs due to the structural features of the larynx in the area of the vocal cords. The cause of the pathological condition in children may be an allergic reaction of the body or a common sore throat. You can stop your baby's cough in the following ways:

give a warm drink that will soften the mucous membrane of the throat and eliminate soreness;
offer your baby a spoonful of honey or a piece of butter to moisturize and lubricate the throat;
do inhalation with essential oils (this remedy helps even with intense barking symptoms);
Give your child baby syrup based on essential oils, which quickly relieves a cough attack.

In addition to the listed methods, treatment of spastic exhalations is carried out systemically. Centrally acting medications fight the symptom at the brain level, affecting directly the cough center. Drugs of this type quickly and effectively eliminate a painful attack, but require strict adherence to the doctor’s instructions. Centrally acting antitussives given to children include:

Sinekod. A medicine based on butamirate is a substance with a bronchodilator and antitussive effect. Sinecode can be taken from 2 months of age. The downside of the product is the side effects that may occur in children.
Bronholitin. The drug contains glaucine, ephedrine and basil essential oil, which helps eliminate a cough attack and relieves bronchospasm. Bronzolitin can be given to children 3 years of age and older. The disadvantage of the medication is the likelihood of side effects, including nausea, tachycardia, and drowsiness.
Stoptussin. The composition of the medicine includes guaifenesin and butamirate, thanks to which coughing attacks are suppressed and sputum begins to separate. Babies from 6 months are given the drug in the form of potassium; for children over 3 years old, syrup is suitable. The disadvantage of Stoptussin is the side effects, including the formation of kidney stones.

Folk recipes

Alternative medicine should be used with caution, as some recipes are highly effective and require the correct dosage. In addition, before using folk remedies, it is important to consult a doctor, since some medications can cause allergies and swelling. Effective antitussive recipes are the following:

Warm drink. To soothe an irritated throat and relieve an attack, you should drink warmed whole milk with honey and a piece of butter at night. These components moisturize the pharyngeal mucosa, eliminate shortness of breath and relieve inflammation.
Compresses. For this purpose, you can use radish with honey, vegetable oil, heated honey, which covers the skin of the throat. The compress is covered with polyethylene and a warm scarf. The procedure is done at night.
Herbal decoctions. Such drugs are taken orally or used as a gargle. Chamomile has proven itself to be excellent when brewed with hot water (1 tablespoon per 1 tablespoon boiling water). The plant relieves inflammation, soothes mucous membranes, and helps remove phlegm.

Video

Colds are often accompanied by an endless cough that does not stop day or night. Anyone who has ever encountered a similar problem knows how painful this condition can be. In this article we will talk about how to stop coughing in a child or adult. And let’s look at what folk remedies and pharmacological drugs can help solve this problem. But first, let's clarify the question asked just below.

Why does a person cough?

It will be much easier to understand how to stop a persistent cough if you know its causes. When a person coughs, in most cases it means that he is sick, and coughing is a reflex that helps restore patency of the airways. Thus, cough can be called a protective reaction of our intelligent body, aimed at getting rid of sputum accumulated in the lungs, bronchi, trachea, and sometimes from foreign particles or dust that have got there.

If adults or children become ill due to an acute respiratory infection, then a cough accompanying the disease may be a symptom:

Laryngitis is an inflammation of the larynx, which is accompanied by a hoarse voice and a barking, rough cough.
Tracheitis - inflammation of the trachea.
Bronchitis is an inflammatory disease of the bronchi. Here the cough is initially dry, and then wet with a lot of sputum.
Pneumonia - inflammation of the lungs.

Two types of cough

Now a little about the two types of cough - dry and wet. In the second case, the cough reflex performs a very useful cleansing function, removing sputum containing harmful microorganisms and pus. How to stop coughing in this case? Help the body by taking expectorants and mucolytic drugs that thin out sticky mucus and promote its expulsion from the respiratory tract.

It can be more difficult to help a person who is tormented by attacks of uncontrollable dry cough. By itself, it cannot bring any relief; it tires the patient, leads to severe irritation of the inflamed respiratory organs, and can even cause vomiting or injury to the mucous membranes. It is especially important to know how to stop a dry cough at night, because at this time it can intensify, and the sick person has absolutely no opportunity to rest. Here we have to use more serious means, often containing the narcotic substance codeine, thanks to which the tablets can directly affect the cough center in our brain.

Cough medications from the pharmacy

How to stop an attack of dry cough, what medications are sold for this in our pharmacies? Such drugs as Codeine, Demorphan, Hydrocodone, Codipront, Ethylmorphine hydrochloride, Morphine chloride effectively and quickly relieve cough. The listed drugs contain narcotic substances, so in order to purchase them at a pharmacy, you will need a prescription from a doctor.

Milder means for combating dry cough (without narcotic substances) are Glauvent, Sedotussin, Tusuprex, Sinekod, Pakseladin. Important: can only be consumed if there is no mucus in the respiratory tract!

The drugs “Levopront”, “Libexin”, “Gelicidin” are also good remedies. They act on receptors and nerve endings in the bronchi and trachea and also relieve painful dry cough.

How to stop a persistent cough when there is phlegm? There are excellent modern drugs that have both anti-inflammatory, bronchodilator and expectorant properties. These include: “Lorraine”, “Stoptussin”, “Bronholitin”, “Tussin Plus”, “Protiazin”, “Hexapneumin”, “Butamirate”, “Ambrobene”, “Bromhexine” and some other drugs. There are a lot of cough medications, and they all have their own specifics. And in order not to make a mistake with the choice of tablets or mixture, it is best to consult a doctor.

When the disease just begins

Now let's find out how to stop a cough that starts. If you have a slight cold and start coughing, then you need to take action immediately! Something as simple as gargling frequently with a warm solution of salt and baking soda can work wonders in some cases. A classic decoction of calendula and sage with chamomile is also great for rinsing. You don’t have to make it yourself, but buy Rotokan tincture at the pharmacy (it includes all three components) and gargle with it, diluting it in water in the following proportion: 1 tbsp. spoon per glass of warm water.

If there is no elevated temperature, you can steam your feet at night and then put on woolen socks. - another effective remedy. We stick it on the chest and back. If your cold symptoms do not subside in the morning, it is best to seek medical help.

What will help the baby

How to stop a baby's cough? This should be decided by the pediatrician based on the diagnosis. But there are old folk remedies that can be used as auxiliary measures. These include those that are placed on the baby’s chest. Here are some recipes:

1. Compress made from honey cake. This flatbread can be made from honey and flour with the addition of vegetable oil. It should be of a normal dense consistency so that it does not spread on the skin. After 4 months of age, it is permissible to add a little mustard powder to the cake mixture - it enhances the healing effect.

2. Compress with camphor oil. To do this, first a diaper folded in several layers is placed on the baby’s chest, then camphor oil is applied to it, another diaper, polyethylene and a securing diaper or gauze on top.

3. Compress made from mashed potatoes. The sequence of actions is the same as in the previous recipe.

The most delicious medicines

It is often difficult to persuade children to take potions, decoctions or tablets that taste unpleasant. If a child is capricious and does not want to be treated, how to stop an attack of dry cough in such a mischievous person? In this case, the collection of folk recipes contains surprisingly simple and tasty medicines that every mother can prepare with ease:

1. Take a tablespoon of sugar (incomplete) and hold it over the fire until the granulated sugar melts and turns brown. Next, you need to quickly pour the contents of the spoon into a saucer with milk. The burnt sugar will harden immediately. The resulting homemade lollipop is good at soothing dry coughs.

2. Banana medicine. To prepare it, take a couple of bananas, peel them, mash them into a homogeneous puree and add hot sweet water to the mixture. The tasty medicine should only be taken warm.

3. Cherry syrup (jam) can soften a cough. Add it to tea and give it to your child to drink.

Alkaline inhalation

Traditional medicine offers a lot of options on how to stop coughing. An interesting effective way - at home. The procedure is done like this: pour mineral water into a pan (if you pass the water through a special magnetic funnel, its properties will be enhanced), bring the liquid to a boil, and cool to 70 degrees.

Well, after that you need to bend over the saucepan, cover yourself with a towel and breathe in the beneficial steam for about 10 minutes. Then it is recommended to drink hot tea with raspberries, wrap yourself up warmly and sleep. Such inhalations help relieve cough with the presence of viscous sputum in the respiratory tract.

Onion milk

Cooled and strained milk is taken for colds 6 times a day, 1 tbsp. spoon. This remedy will provide emergency assistance even at night, as it perfectly calms even very