Many people cannot decide which is worse: a runny nose or a cough. At least a runny nose does not actively interrupt business meetings or play dates. First, your cough is phlegm-y, then it is dry, and finally it feels like every time you cough you are ripping out tiny pieces of your throat. Your cough worsens and goes through these stages for a reason. Let’s explore.
Mucous. The main and just about the only purpose of your cough is to rid your body of mucous. This mucous can be all the way down in your lungs, in your throat or you may have swallowed some and it is only half-stuck in your throat. Whichever position it is in, you must get rid of it for your cough to go away. Your cough is not a rhythmic spasm. If all of the mucous goes away, then your cough will magically disappear. The more you cough, the sooner it will go away, and the more you cough at one time, the longer it will take for more mucous to be gathered together and need to come up.
Hydration. Mucous and lungs which are dry and parched can cause the mucous to actually stick to your body, rather than swiftly moving up and out. If you are not hydrated enough, it will not matter how many times you cough, it will stay where it is, your throat will get dry and raw, and you will feel awful. Number one rule of pulling all the mucous out: Drink, drink and drink some more! If everything is properly hydrated, then the mucous will almost slide out on its own whenever you clear your throat. Avoid soft drinks, since they tend to have a drying effect on your body and the carbonation will irritate the tissue in your throat.
Soothing raw tissue. Well, perhaps you have not been hydrated enough and now you have a dry, hacking cough that does not accomplish much. While you are busily rehydrating the mucous and your tissues, you will need to do something about that sore raw throat which has developed. Honey is the number one soother for raw dry throats. Some people take spoonfuls of honey, but I strongly advise you to keep a small-mouth jar next to you wherever you are. Actually drinking it and swallowing a couple of gulps of honey whenever you feel too dry is one of the best reliefs I have ever found. This is particularly useful if your body has developed an immunity to cough suppressants.
Spitting. The last, and probably the most useful, stage in getting rid of your phlegm is to spit it out. This is no small matter. Most people swallow or breathe their phlegm back inside their system, and the problem begins all over again. Though it may be gross, carry a water glass around with you so that whenever you cough something up, you have a place to put the mucous. Keep your water glass and your small jar of honey beside you throughout the day, and remember to stay hydrated!
Having a sore dry throat is horrible and coughing up the phlegm is even worse. Keep your lungs wet, your throat soothed and the phlegm completely out of your system and you will be over this cough in no time!
