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What type of cough do you get with Covid?

Coughing is the body’s way of protecting the lungs and getting rid of things that irritate them. This is a normal and important function.

Types of cough

Some infections can leave you with a dry cough because your lungs have been irritated. This should slowly disappear during the course of your recovery. It's not clear how long after coronavirus (COVID-19) you may have a cough and it can be frustrating at times.

A dry cough is one of the most common coronavirus symptoms, but some people may have a cough with phlegm (thick mucus).

It can be difficult to control your cough but there are a few ways to help.

Ways to help a dry cough

keep yourself well hydrated by drinking small amounts often throughout the day

soothe your throat by drinking a warm drink, such as honey and lemon

take small sips of liquid if you feel yourself starting to cough

suck a sugary sweet if you feel yourself starting to cough

try swallowing repeatedly if you have a cough and don't have a drink near you

blow your nose if you have a runny nose – try not to sniff

You can also use positions to ease breathing if you cough when you go to bed.

Avoid things that make you cough, for example:

smoking

smoky atmospheres

air fresheners

strong smelling candles

strong perfumes or deodorants

Ways to help a cough with phlegm

stay hydrated

inhale steam

try lying on either side as flat as you can to help drain the phlegm

try moving around to help to move the phlegm

try breathing control techniques if you move to an area with a different temperature

try to breathe in through your nose – breathing in through your mouth can make you cough more

Read further information about breathing control techniques and positions to ease breathlessness

Non-urgent advice:Speak to your GP practice if:

your cough is not improving

you're waking up at night coughing

your cough is changing for example coughing up blood or phlegm turning dirty

breathlessness is not improving

you're worried about your symptoms

How long will I have a cough after COVID-19?

When Cynthia Searight started feeling under the weather a few days before Christmas 2021, she wasn’t surprised to learn she had COVID-19. “I’d been at a dinner party earlier in the week with someone who later tested positive,” says the Connecticut-based creative director.

Perhaps because she was vaccinated and boosted, her initial symptoms were relatively mild — a slight cough and scratchy throat. “Then, almost overnight, I developed a dry, painful cough that got progressively worse,” says Searight. It got so bad that her internist gave her a prescription for a cough suppressant with codeine so she could sleep.

For four days, she was knocked out by a sore throat that became severe, headache, and that hacking cough.

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Weeks later, “I’m still coughing intermittently at night,” she says.

A cough can be a hallmark of many conditions such as a cold, the flu, pneumonia, undiagnosed asthma, lung disease like COPD, even postnasal drip and acid reflux, says Donna Klitzman, MD, a pulmonary and clinical care physician at Pulmonary Intensive Care Specialists of New Jersey in East Brunswick.

“Not only does coughing disrupt sleep, but it makes it difficult to go out in public, because everyone thinks you have COVID-19,” Dr Klitzman adds.

What if everyone’s right?

How Common Is a COVID-19 Cough?

Fifty to 70 percent of people with symptomatic COVID-19 will develop a dry cough, according to William Checkley, MD, PhD, an associate professor in the division of pulmonary and critical care medicine at Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore.

The cough tends to come on quickly, says Dr. Checkley, beginning about a day or so after the onset of illness, but it doesn’t typically subside quickly, especially for people who aren’t vaccinated. An April 2021 study in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine found that cough lasts an average of 19 days for most people with COVID-19 and up to four weeks in about 5 percent of patients.

Some people with long COVID might find themselves coughing for months, “but we need to get more and better data to really understand the numbers,” says Checkley.

The COVID-19 Cough and Omicron

With the arrival of omicron even more of us are coughing: An investigation out of Norway published in December 2021 in the journal Eurosurveillance, looking at a group of mostly vaccinated people who became infected by omicron at a company Christmas party, found that 83 percent reported having a cough.

Omicron appears to replicate rapidly in the bronchi, the two large tubes that bring air from the windpipe to the lungs. A December 2021 study from the LKS Faculty of Medicine at The University of Hong Kong (which has not yet been peer-reviewed) reported that omicron multiplies in the airways 70 times faster than delta and the original virus.

Yet the researchers found that omicron does not infect the lungs as much as earlier variants do, suggesting that it is less likely to cause severe disease.

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Is a COVID-19 Cough Different From Other Kinds of Coughs?

Ubiquitous as it may be, a COVID-19 cough is not unique. “A COVID-19 cough is similar to the cough produced from other viral or bacterial pneumonias,” says Checkley.

Klitzman agrees that you can’t diagnose a patient just by listening to them cough. She says, “I’ve had patients who come in with severe symptoms and coughing, and when you test them, they have a rhinovirus,” the main cause of the common cold.

But for people who land in the hospital with COVID-19 — and these days, that usually means patients who have not been vaccinated — a painful, dry cough accompanied by lower-than-normal oxygen levels (hypoxia) is a sign of trouble.

“Hospitalized COVID-19 patients just can’t take a deep breath without coughing,” Klitzman observes.

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What Causes Coughing

As unsettling as it is to deal with any kind of cough, this protective reflex is necessary for bouncing back from an infection. “You don’t want to suppress coughing too much because if there are secretions, like mucus, you have to be able to clear them out,” says Klitzman. “The major reason older people with pneumonia die is that they decline and become too weak to even cough and clear their lungs.”

All of us have sensory nerves in the epithelium, the thin layer of tissue that forms the outer lining of body parts ranging from the eardrums, heart, and stomach to the larynx (voice box), trachea (windpipe), and bronchi, explains Checkley.

Normally, when sensory nerves detect a virus or other foreign invader, they activate cough sensors in the medulla region of the brain, which in turn trigger the muscles around the respiratory tract to eject the unwanted visitor.

“But it’s also possible that the COVID-19 virus may directly or indirectly target the sensory nerves themselves, as a part of the infection,” says Checkley, adding that this theory needs further study.

How to Prevent Coughs From Spreading the Coronavirus

As most of us know by now, it’s crucial to cover a COVID-19 cough with a face mask, a tissue, or a bent elbow to reduce the spread of infectious respiratory droplets and aerosols.

A January 2022 report in the physics journal AIP Advances that studied how droplets are dispersed via coughing also recommends lowering your head to reduce the risk of transmitting COVID-19 to others.

If your cough hangs on even after you’re past the worse of the acute infection, could you still be spreading COVID-19? “The risk of transmissibility drops significantly after 10 days,” says Checkley. “But while you don’t have to stay isolated at home if you’re coughing, it’s prudent — and polite — to continue wearing a mask and to social distance.”

How to Calm That Cough Down

Fortunately, there are things you can do to treat a cough while you recover from COVID-19 at home. “It can help to elevate yourself when sleeping by slipping a wedge under your pillow,” says Klitzman.

She adds, “Over-the-counter cough suppressants — antitussives — taken before bed can be very helpful. So can cough suppressants with codeine. They make you sleepy, so are good to use at night, but you don’t want to become reliant on that.”

For Searight, who is off prescription cough medicine, drinking lots of herbal tea and taking lozenges help, she says.

Be sure to let your physician know if you have a cough that won’t quit or another stubborn COVID-19 issue. “This can affect your quality of life,” says Klitzman.

Klitzman also points out that the best way to ease a symptom of any illness is to treat the underlying disease. If you have mild or moderate COVID-19 and are at high risk for becoming severely ill, antiviral pills and certain monoclonal antibody infusions may help you heal — and that means less coughing.

Which drink is best for cough?

Cold and cough are very common during winters or when the seasons are changing. While there are medicines available, home remedies are simpler and have almost no side effects. There are many traditional Indian recipes for drinks that are known to cure a cold and cough and help reduce the risk of further infections. You can store a soothing drink in an insulated tumbler and sip it during the day. Listed below are some of the best recipes to try when you have a cold or cough. Although these concoctions might provide temporary relief from sore throat and other symptoms, you might have to consult your physician in order to feel better and treat your health condition.

Which Are The Most Soothing Indian Drinks To Have During Cold And Cough?

1. Lime Juice With Cinnamon And Honey

lime juice

This age-old concoction is simple and is great when you have a sore throat. All you need to do is squeeze some fresh lemon juice into a tumbler or glass of water, add a pinch of cinnamon and a spoonful of honey for sweetness. If you are unable to drink water at a normal temperature, then you can make this drink with lukewarm water. This drink is packed with antioxidants that help to repair damaged immune cells and it is antibacterial as well as antiviral.

2. Golden Milk

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golden milk

Golden milk or warm milk with turmeric is a traditional Indian drink that is used as a cure for cold, cough, and other bacterial infections. You can heat some milk and add a teaspoon of turmeric. Golden milk is usually made without sugar but if you want it to be sweet you can add some honey. Pour the milk in an insulated water bottle to keep it warm and sip on it, especially before bedtime.

3. Fresh Pineapple Juice

pineapple juice

Sometimes during a cold or cough, you might not want to drink thick broths or brews. Fresh fruit juices with no artificial sweeteners can feel refreshing. Pineapple is one of the best fruits to have, especially when you have a cold during a change in the season. It is a source of the enzyme bromelain and is therefore anti-inflammatory. Keep fresh pineapple juice in a stainless steel water bottle and take small sips throughout the day. The juice will soothe your throat, reduce congestion by expelling mucus and stop severe coughs.

4. Thickened Sweet And Spicy Milk

spicy milk

A warm drink before you go to bed at night can help you sleep better even when you have a bad cold. This Indian drink is made by combining roasted chickpea flour, ghee, milk, sugar, or jaggery and spices like black pepper, turmeric, and cardamom. The chickpea flour thickens the milk and the spices have antibacterial properties. You can prepare this delicious drink before dinner and pour it in an insulated tumbler to have it before bed. It will help to reduce the congestion overnight and you will also feel rather rejuvenated.

5. Ginger Tea

ginger tea

Drinks with anti-inflammatory and antiviral properties are recommended during a cold and cough. Ginger tea is not only easy to make, but it is also one of the best. Ginger is known to relieve cold and cough because of the bioactive compounds in it. These phytonutrients, gingerols, and shogaols reduce the risk of viral infections and can help prevent severe cold and cough. To make ginger tea you can choose any tea you like and add a few slices of fresh ginger to the brew. Do not let it go cold and try to drink it every day, preferably in the morning, slowly sipping from an insulated tumbler.

6. Savoury Rasam

rasam

Most of the drinks that are effective in curing colds are sweet or sour. But this South Indian drink is savory and can also be treated as a proper dish. To make rasam, you will have to cook a watery curry with tomatoes, tamarind extract, green chilies, and curry leaves. The rasam is then flavored with stir-fried mustard seeds, coriander leaves, cumin, and dried chilies. You can serve this broth-like drink in any drinkware of your choice or even have it with rice. The curry leaves in rasam clear the congestion from the respiratory tract and the warmth of the drink is soothing for sore throats.

7. Black Tea

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black tea

If you are looking for a warm beverage to sip on when you have a cold then black tea is a great choice. Black tea is rich in antioxidants and it is particularly effective if you have been suffering from a cold for a long time. Black tea, without any sugar, will also reduce coughing. You can drink black tea at any time of the day and you can also flavor it with some spices like cardamom, cloves, and ginger.

8. Gooseberry And Mint Juice

gooseberry and mint juice

Gooseberries contain Vitamin C and polyphenols that can help to fight bacterial infections. Gooseberry juice is made by making a paste of some fresh gooseberries, salt, and black pepper and then stirring that paste in a glass of water. Now, this might taste sour and not very pleasant. So you can add some honey to the juice. If you are unable to drink the whole glass at once, pour the gooseberry juice in a stainless steel water bottle and take small sips of it throughout the day.

9. Green Tea With Saffron, Almonds, And Honey

green tea

Green tea is considered to be one the best teas to cure a cold and cough. It clears the respiratory tract of harmful bacteria and reduces congestion. Drinking green tea regularly can also reduce the risk of infections and illnesses like the flu. Green tea contains antioxidants like quercetin and so it is effective in curing viral infections. When you are down with a cold, you can brew green tea and flavor it with saffron, some crushed almonds, and a dash of honey.

10. Warm, Spiced Buttermilk

butter milk

If you have a severe cough, you will want something that is going to soothe your throat. During a cold, you might find most foods and drinks tasteless. This is why buttermilk is a great drink. Buttermilk can be flavored with spices like turmeric, cardamom, cinnamon, and cloves to add more flavor and to also make it antibacterial. The consistency of buttermilk is usually thick, but you can serve it in an insulated tumbler.

Final Words

Before making a drink for yourself, check if all the ingredients suit you. Avoid recipes that contain ingredients you are allergic to. Once you find the perfect drink for your sore throat, pour it in an insulated water bottle and drink it as many times as possible. The bottle will retain the right temperature of the drink and all the nutrients and flavors will be conserved. Also, make sure you discuss with your physician and get theri go ahead before you start making a habit of drinking any of these drinks.

What helps a cough at night?

Everyone has a cough from time to time. In fact, coughing can serve a useful purpose by ridding the lungs of irritants or excess mucus. Coughing may also help remove germs from the lungs and prevent infection.

How to Get Rid of a Persistent Cough

But when coughing occurs at nighttime, it can interrupt sleep and prevent a person from getting a good night’s rest.

Fortunately, there are several ways to relieve coughing at night, including medication, lifestyle changes, and natural remedies.

Home remedies

The following 10 tips may help a person reduce or ease their nighttime coughing:

1. Try a humidifier

A humidifier machine may help if the coughing is caused by dry air.

Dry air can make a cough worse. Air conditioning and cooling fans in the summer and heating systems in the winter can make the environment dry.

A person can try using a humidifier at night to add moisture to the air where they sleep. Adding humidity by this method may help soothe the throat and prevent coughing.

However, too much moisture can contribute to mold growth. Mold can be an allergen and cause even more coughing.

A device called a hygrometer can be used to check the moisture level in a room. A hygrometer can usually be bought from a hardware store.

A humidity level of about 50 percent in a bedroom is a good target to aim for.

There is a selection of humidifiers available for purchase online.

2. Decrease allergens

Allergies occur when the immune system overreacts to a generally harmless substance. Symptoms, such as sneezing, stuffiness, and coughing are common.

Common allergy triggers include mold, pet dander, and dust. A person can decrease allergy related coughing in the bedroom by:

Using a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter on the bedroom floor weekly to remove dust.

Ridding the bedroom of magnets for dust, such as magazines, books, and trinkets.

Washing bedding in hot water once a week.

Showering before going to bed to remove outdoor allergens, such as pollen.

3. Manage GERD

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a digestive disorder that causes some of the contents of the stomach to flow back up to the esophagus. It can lead to throat irritation and coughing, especially at night.

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People who have GERD should talk to their doctor about managing their condition. Avoiding foods that may trigger heartburn and not eating for about 4 hours before bed may help decrease symptoms.

4. Drink tea with honey

Hot tea with honey can soothe the throat, reduce irritation, and loosen mucus.

Honey should not be given to children less that 1 year old due to the potential risk of a form of food poisoning called botulism.

There is a selection of honey available for purchase online.

5. Consider over-the-counter medicine

Cough supressants and expectorants may be needed if coughing is particularly severe.

Some people may want to consider taking over-the-counter medication when coughing makes it impossible to sleep.

Cough medications are usually classified as one of the following:

Cough suppressants: These block the cough reflex. Prescription cough suppressants are also available that contain codeine.

Expectorants: An expectorant thins the mucus in the lungs, which makes it easier to cough it up. By helping cough the mucus up, an expectorant may shorten how long a cough lasts.

Cough medications may have side effects and interact with other drugs, so it is best to talk to a doctor or pharmacist first.

There is a selection of cough suppressants and expectorants available for purchase online.

6. Elevate the head

Coughing often becomes worse at night because a person is lying flat in bed. Mucus can pool in the back of the throat and cause coughing.

Sleeping with the head elevated can decrease postnasal drip and symptoms of GERD, which both cause coughing at night.

The cough that just won't go away

A person can prop up the head of their bed using a few pillows or a back wedge. A change in sleep position can allow mucus to flow without causing coughing.

7. Gargle with warm salt water before bed

Salt water can ease a sore or irritated throat. It can also help remove mucus from the back of the throat.

To reduce coughing, a person can mix a teaspoon of salt in about 6 ounces of warm water and gargle a few times before bed. The salt water should be spat out after gargling and not swallowed.

8. Quit smoking

Smoking cigarettes is a frequent cause of a long-term cough. Quitting smoking will help decrease coughing over time, although it will not stop the problem overnight.

The American Lung Association offers resources to help people who want to quit smoking.

It can also be helpful to talk to a doctor about aids for quitting, such as nicotine patches, gum, and medication.

9. Use a saline nasal spray

A saline nasal spray can decrease dryness, thin mucus, and wash away irritants and allergens from the nose.

Saline nasal sprays contain salt and water and may also decrease postnasal drip.

There is a selection of saline nasal sprays available for purchase online.

10. Treat asthma

Asthma is a long-term lung disorder that involves inflammation and narrowing of the airway. A common symptom of asthma is coughing, which often becomes worse at night.

A prescription inhaler may stop coughing at night due to asthma. Some inhalers contain respiratory medications to open the airways, which may ease coughing and make breathing easier.

Causes

Nighttime coughing may be a symptom of a range of conditions, including allergies, flu, bronchitis, and asthma.

Coughing at night can be caused by a wide variety of conditions, some of which are short-term and disappear within a week or two. In other cases, the causes of a nighttime cough can be long-term.

The following conditions are common causes of nighttime coughing:

allergies

asthma

emphysema

chronic bronchitis

GERD

common cold

flu

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When to see a doctor

Nighttime coughing can often be reduced by using one of the above suggestions. However, there are some instances when it is best to see a doctor.

A person should see a doctor if they have any of the following symptoms:

fever greater than 38.3°C

coughing for more than a week

coughing up blood

wheezing

chest pain

trouble breathing

Outlook

The severity of nighttime coughing will depend on the cause. For example, nighttime coughing due to a common cold will usually clear up in a week or two. If a chronic lung disease is the cause, coughing may be more difficult to reduce.

People who have allergies, asthma, or GERD can improve their outlook by managing their condition and working with their doctor to find treatment options that decrease symptoms.

How do I stop coughing from Covid?

A cough is usually a reflex action to clear dust, phlegm and other irritants from your lungs and windpipe. Whilst recovering from COVID you may continue to experience a dry cough for some time.

Over time, a cough can develop into a cycle, where excessive coughing causes irritation and inflammation, which worsens the cough. A dry cough may have no obvious cause and using the advice below will help to prevent this cough.

A problematic cough can also make you breathe through your mouth, which means that lots of dry, fast flowing air enters the lungs, affecting the delicate airway membranes and causing further coughing.

How can I control my cough?

Practise a ‘normal’ breathing pattern – gentle, quiet, diaphragmatic (tummy breathing- feeling the tummy rise and fall as you breathe in and out), nose breathing at rest to start with. Aim to practise this little and often so that it becomes habit. Progress this by practising with gentle activity as you are able.

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Other techniques to help with reducing your cough:

Close your mouth and swallow.

Gently breathe in and out through your nose, until the urge to cough goes away.

Sip drinks regularly (hot or cold).

Suck boiled sweets or lozenges.

Using a combination of the above techniques is more effective at reducing your cough – pick the techniques that work best for you!

It can be very difficult to control your cough but keep practising.

Why do I have a productive cough?

It is important to realise everyone produces sputum as part of the body’s normal defence mechanisms. It’s how the lungs and airways keep themselves clear and clean.

You may find your chest remains productive with phlegm following an infection with COVID. Your breathing may be noisier than normal, and you maybe short of breath following a chest infection.

It is important to continue to clear the secretions from your lungs. This will reduce the chance of recurrent chest infections, allows you to breathe more freely during exercise and everyday activities and help reduce any uncontrolled coughing.

The breathing exercises below will help you to effectively and efficiently clear your phlegm. It is important not to force clearance and make sure you give yourself plenty of time to rest during and after.

Make sure you are sitting upright and comfortably.

Take a slow, deep breath in through your nose and hold it at the top for a count of 3 (if you can) then let it go gently from your mouth. Repeat 3-4 times.

Gentle, relaxed breathing for 20-30 seconds (breathing control, see breathlessness section).

Repeat steps 2 and 3 through 3 times.

Huff 2-3 times (Take a slow deep breath in through your nose, then breathe the air out quickly through your mouth, keeping your throat open as if you are steaming up a mirror or your glasses).

Repeat this for 3-4 cycles or until you feel that the phlegm has cleared. Sometimes you can feel dizzy with doing this cycle. Allow enough time at the breathing control parts of the cycle for your breathing to become quiet. Remember the huffing should be short, try not to breathe out for so long that you need to gasp for air. If the dizziness persists, then stop.

You may need to use this technique several times in a day – find a time that is convenient for you and try to use it at times of the day when you feel most productive.

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The following can also help with keeping your chest clear

Positioning – try and keep upright as much as possible. If you have been advised by a physiotherapist to use other positions, then try them.

Taking prescribed medication of antibiotics and/or steroids

Taking your inhalers if you have them.

Keeping well hydrated.

Steam inhalation.

Exercise and keep active.

If your cough is ongoing and you did not require hospitalisation during your COVID infection you should seek advice from your GP.

How do you get rid of a cough fast?

When you’re dealing with a cough, that annoying tickle in your throat can crop up at the worst times — like during a Zoom meeting or when you’re trying desperately to get some sleep.

As annoying as a cough can be, it is a healthy response to an irritant in your throat or airways. The irritant stimulates nerves that send a message to your brain; your brain then tells muscles in your chest and abdomen to push air out of your lungs to force the irritant out, says the Mayo Clinic.

Many medical conditions can result in a cough, including the common cold, the flu, allergies, post-nasal drip (when phlegm drips from the back of the nose into the throat), and acid reflux (when stomach acid travels up into the esophagus and irritates the wind pipe).