{"id":13347,"date":"2021-06-18T13:00:40","date_gmt":"2021-06-18T18:00:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.osfhealthcare.org\/blog\/?p=13347"},"modified":"2026-04-16T11:03:54","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T16:03:54","slug":"im-coughing-a-lot-is-it-bronchitis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/im-coughing-a-lot-is-it-bronchitis\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Stop Coughing: What Your Cough Can Tell You"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Coughing is something we all experience from time to time. Often, it\u2019s just a tickle in your throat or clearing out some post-nasal drip. But sometimes, coughing doesn\u2019t stop. Understanding the cause of your cough can help you treat it, prevent spreading illness and know when it\u2019s time to call your doctor.<\/p>\n<h2>Dry Cough vs. Wet Cough<\/h2>\n<p>Knowing what type of cough you have can reveal a lot:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Dry cough: Scratchy, tickly, or irritating, common with viral infections, asthma or environmental triggers.<\/li>\n<li>Wet cough: Produces mucus, phlegm or congestion, often linked to bronchitis, pneumonia or post-nasal drip from allergies.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u201cKnowing whether your cough is dry or wet is the first step in treating it properly,\u201d said <a href=\"https:\/\/www.osfhealthcare.org\/providers\/brian-curtis-1465391\">Brian Curtis, MD<\/a>, vice president, chief medical officer, OSF Medical Group.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Coughing_Infographic_1440x1080_12-25_Final.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-19901 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Coughing_Infographic_1440x1080_12-25_Final-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"How to stop coughing graphic\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Coughing_Infographic_1440x1080_12-25_Final-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Coughing_Infographic_1440x1080_12-25_Final-533x710.jpg 533w, https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Coughing_Infographic_1440x1080_12-25_Final-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Coughing_Infographic_1440x1080_12-25_Final-750x1000.jpg 750w, https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Coughing_Infographic_1440x1080_12-25_Final.jpg 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h2>Common Causes of Cough<\/h2>\n<p>Coughs don\u2019t all start the same way. Here are some of the most common causes:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Viral infections, such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.osfhealthcare.org\/blog\/cold-flu-allergies-or-covid-19-how-to-tell-the-difference\">flu, colds or COVID-19<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Bronchitis, an inflammation of the airways, which causes a lingering wet cough<\/li>\n<li>Asthma often triggers dry cough, wheezing or nighttime coughing<\/li>\n<li>Allergies can cause post-nasal drip leading to chronic throat clearing and coughing<\/li>\n<li>Ear infections, especially in children, can trigger a reflex cough<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u201cCoughing is your body\u2019s way of clearing the airways,\u201d Dr. Curtis said. \u201cIt helps to pay attention to patterns, timing and the severity of your cough to nail down what\u2019s causing it.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Cough Treatment at Home<\/h2>\n<p>Most coughs improve with home remedies, especially if they are caused by a virus or are mild. Here are some tips to stop your cough:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Drink water or broth to help loosen mucus<\/li>\n<li>Add honey and lemon to your tea to soothe a scratchy throat<\/li>\n<li>Inhale warm steam to ease congestion and help you breathe easier<\/li>\n<li>Cough drops can temporarily calm a tickly throat<\/li>\n<li>Try elevating your head while sleeping to avoid nighttime coughing<\/li>\n<li>Avoid anything that might irritate your throat, like smoke, strong perfumes or cold air<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>For sudden, uncontrollable coughing fits, try slow, deep breaths and sipping warm fluids to help calm your throat.<\/p>\n<h2>When to See a Doctor for a Cough<\/h2>\n<p>While many coughs are mild, for certain symptoms it\u2019s best to call your doctor, including:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Fever that doesn\u2019t improve with medication<\/li>\n<li>Chronic cough lasting longer than three weeks<\/li>\n<li>Coughing up blood or large amounts of mucus<\/li>\n<li>Sudden attacks of coughing with gagging<\/li>\n<li>Coughing so hard you throw up<\/li>\n<li>Shortness of breath<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u201cPersistent or severe coughing should be evaluated so we can rule out anything serious, like pneumonia, asthma complications or bronchitis,\u201d Dr. Curtis said.<\/p>\n<div class=\"alignright cta\">\n<p>Get Relief from Your Cough<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.osfhealthcare.org\/providers?query=family\">Talk to a provider today<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cAny chronic, productive cough warrants evaluation by a doctor, especially if there\u2019s shortness of breath,\u201d Dr. Meeker said. \u201cThat\u2019s because lung function needs to be evaluated to make sure there\u2019s no obstructive disease. If there is obstruction, the patient may benefit not only from treating the cough but from using inhalers to help open their airways. This type of chronic bronchitis can be very severe and is referred to as chronic obstructive bronchitis, which is another type of COPD.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>How to Prevent Coughing<\/h2>\n<p>The easiest way to stop a cough? Keep it from starting in the first place.<\/p>\n<p>Staying up to date on your<a href=\"https:\/\/www.osfhealthcare.org\/services\/specialties\/primary-care\/vaccines\"> flu, pneumonia and COVID-19 vaccines<\/a> helps protect you from illnesses that often trigger coughing. Washing your hands regularly and keeping your distance from people who are sick can also help keep germs out of your airways.<\/p>\n<p>If you have allergies or asthma, taking care of them can prevent cough flare-ups. Avoid smoking or being around others who do as it can trigger irritation in your throat and lungs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When your cough lasts longer than a few days, it could be bronchitis. While there is no cure for acute or chronic bronchitis, there are still ways to manage and reduce the symptoms. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":135,"featured_media":13352,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"no","footnotes":""},"categories":[129,733],"tags":[939,994,40,730],"coauthors":[1173],"class_list":["post-13347","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-miscellaneous","category-lung-respiratory-health","tag-copd","tag-cough","tag-flu","tag-smoking"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How to Stop Coughing: Causes, Treatment &amp; When to Get Care<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Find out what your cough means, how to treat it at home, and when it might mean something more serious. Learn how to stop coughing and get relief fast.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/im-coughing-a-lot-is-it-bronchitis\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Learn how to stop your cough\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Understanding your cough\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/im-coughing-a-lot-is-it-bronchitis\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"OSF HealthCare Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/osfhealthcare\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-06-18T18:00:40+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-16T16:03:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/shutterstock_1476262199-1-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1731\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1154\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Lauren Freehill\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"I\u2019m coughing a lot. Is it bronchitis?\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"The most common forms of bronchitis are acute and chronic. Learn the signs of each, treatment options and when to see your doctor.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/shutterstock_1476262199-1-2.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@osfhealthcare\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@osfhealthcare\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Lauren Freehill\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/im-coughing-a-lot-is-it-bronchitis\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/im-coughing-a-lot-is-it-bronchitis\/\",\"name\":\"How to Stop Coughing: Causes, Treatment & When to Get Care\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/im-coughing-a-lot-is-it-bronchitis\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/im-coughing-a-lot-is-it-bronchitis\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/shutterstock_1476262199-1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-06-18T18:00:40+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-16T16:03:54+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/b8a43a2e83ab57b319af81da80db9584\"},\"description\":\"Find out what your cough means, how to treat it at home, and when it might mean something more serious. Learn how to stop coughing and get relief fast.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/im-coughing-a-lot-is-it-bronchitis\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/im-coughing-a-lot-is-it-bronchitis\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/im-coughing-a-lot-is-it-bronchitis\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/shutterstock_1476262199-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/shutterstock_1476262199-1.jpg\",\"width\":1731,\"height\":1154,\"caption\":\"Woman coughing\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/im-coughing-a-lot-is-it-bronchitis\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"How to Stop Coughing: What Your Cough Can Tell You\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"OSF HealthCare Blog\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/b8a43a2e83ab57b319af81da80db9584\",\"name\":\"Lauren Freehill\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/author\/lfreehill\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How to Stop Coughing: Causes, Treatment & When to Get Care","description":"Find out what your cough means, how to treat it at home, and when it might mean something more serious. Learn how to stop coughing and get relief fast.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/im-coughing-a-lot-is-it-bronchitis\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Learn how to stop your cough","og_description":"Understanding your cough","og_url":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/im-coughing-a-lot-is-it-bronchitis\/","og_site_name":"OSF HealthCare Blog","article_publisher":"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/osfhealthcare","article_published_time":"2021-06-18T18:00:40+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-04-16T16:03:54+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1731,"height":1154,"url":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/shutterstock_1476262199-1-1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Lauren Freehill","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_title":"I\u2019m coughing a lot. Is it bronchitis?","twitter_description":"The most common forms of bronchitis are acute and chronic. Learn the signs of each, treatment options and when to see your doctor.","twitter_image":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/shutterstock_1476262199-1-2.jpg","twitter_creator":"@osfhealthcare","twitter_site":"@osfhealthcare","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Lauren Freehill","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/im-coughing-a-lot-is-it-bronchitis\/","url":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/im-coughing-a-lot-is-it-bronchitis\/","name":"How to Stop Coughing: Causes, Treatment & When to Get Care","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/im-coughing-a-lot-is-it-bronchitis\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/im-coughing-a-lot-is-it-bronchitis\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/shutterstock_1476262199-1.jpg","datePublished":"2021-06-18T18:00:40+00:00","dateModified":"2026-04-16T16:03:54+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/b8a43a2e83ab57b319af81da80db9584"},"description":"Find out what your cough means, how to treat it at home, and when it might mean something more serious. Learn how to stop coughing and get relief fast.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/im-coughing-a-lot-is-it-bronchitis\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/im-coughing-a-lot-is-it-bronchitis\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/im-coughing-a-lot-is-it-bronchitis\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/shutterstock_1476262199-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/shutterstock_1476262199-1.jpg","width":1731,"height":1154,"caption":"Woman coughing"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/im-coughing-a-lot-is-it-bronchitis\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"How to Stop Coughing: What Your Cough Can Tell You"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/","name":"OSF HealthCare Blog","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/b8a43a2e83ab57b319af81da80db9584","name":"Lauren Freehill","url":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/author\/lfreehill\/"}]}},"modified_by":"Jeff Rowden","featured_image_url":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/shutterstock_1476262199-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13347","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/135"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13347"}],"version-history":[{"count":21,"href":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13347\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20238,"href":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13347\/revisions\/20238"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13352"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13347"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13347"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13347"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=13347"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}