Coughing helps to keep your airways clear. A productive, or wet, cough brings up mucus from the respiratory tract, but a dry cough produces no mucus. Persistent dry coughs cause sore throats, chest discomfort and sleep disturbances. Possible causes may include allergies, asthma, bronchitis, gastroesophageal reflux or GERD, smoking, lung cancer, heart disease, lung disease, or certain medications, according to Aurora Health Care. Treatment depends in part on the underlying cause, although home remedies can soothe the cough.
Identify Possible Causes
Step 1
Discuss your symptoms with your health care provider if you have symptoms that suggest an underlying condition that requires treatment. If your cough is forceful, sudden, worse when you lie down, or has lasted longer than 10 to 14 days, report it to your provider, recommends the University of Maryland Medical Center. A high-pitched sound when you inhale, unexplained weight loss, night sweats, fever over 103 degrees Fahrenheit, blue face or lips, or chest pain also require evaluation, according to the Aurora Health Care website.
Step 2
Discuss your medications with your health care provider if you are taking an ACE, or angiotensin converting enzyme, inhibitor for heart disease or high blood pressure. Approximately 5 to 25 percent of patients taking ACE inhibitors such as captopril, benazepril, enalapril, lisinopril, fosinopril, ramipril, perindopril, quinapril, moexipril and trandolapril develop a dry, persistent cough, according to RxList.
Step 3
Discuss allergy testing with your health care provider to identify the source of your dry cough. Allergens can include pets, grasses, trees, mold, dust or foods.
Alter the Environment
Step 1
Take a hot shower with the bathroom door closed, and set up a humidifier or vaporizer in the bedroom to make sleeping easier. Increasing the moisture in the air you breathe can loosen mucus and relax your airway.
Step 2
Quit smoking and avoid secondhand smoke at work and at home. Tobacco smoke can cause a dry, hacking cough in smokers and those around them.
Step 3
Remove allergy triggers, such as pet hair and mold, from your home if your dry cough is accompanied by postnasal drip, clear mucus from the nose and itchy eyes. Avoid allergy triggers, such as grass and trees, in your environment.
Soothe the Symptoms
Step 1
Drink plenty of fluids to thin the mucus and soothe a dry throat, according to the National Institutes of Health. Herbal tea or warm water mixed with honey may be more effective than over-the-counter cough medicine in soothing a cough and dry throat, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center.
Step 2
Suck cough drops, lozenges or hard candy to soothe a dry, tickling cough. Products containing menthol and eucalyptus may be especially effective, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center.
Step 3
Take over-the-counter medications unless your health care provider advises otherwise. Cough medicines labeled suppressants are designed to relieve a dry cough while expectorants such as guaifenesin bring up mucus, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. If your cough is caused by postnasal drip, an accumulation of mucus in the back of the throat, a decongestant can be helpful. An antihistamine such as loratadine may help to relieve a cough caused by allergies.
Step 4
Discuss prescription medications with your health care provider if home remedies are not effective. Antihistamines, including fexofenadine and cetirizine; bronchodilators; corticosteroids; or prescription nasal sprays may be appropriate depending upon the cause of the cough, according to Aurora Health Care.
Things You'll Need
- Fluids
- Vaporizer or humidifier
- Candy or lozenges
- Over-the-counter medications or prescription medications
