What's Going on When You Cough?
- You might feel a scratchy tickle in your throat. This tickle signals your brain that it's time to cough.
- Your brain tells your lungs to let out a sudden burst of air–surprise, you're coughing! Sometimes you can control it, but other times you can't.
- Coughing helps clear mucus and other matter (inhaled irritants) from the throat and lungs. Remember to help decrease the spread of germs by:
- Covering your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough and always putting your used tissue in the waste basket when finished.
- If you don't have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your upper sleeve, not your hands.
- Always clean your hands after coughing or sneezing. It is best to wash with soap and water or use a hand sanitizer.
- A "productive" cough brings up phlegm/mucus into your mouth with a wet sound.
- A "non-productive" cough is dry and can be irritating with a hacking sound.
- Most illnesses, like the common cold that make you cough last less than three weeks–but they can feel a lot longer.
* Among OTC products per dose.
